Fair or Foul

Anne Coughlin (and someone else - who cares) discusses the link between drinking and sexual assault.

Speaking of which, there can't be a serious argument that this (without more) is sexual assault, can there?  The principle, as discussed here, seems to be that, if you lie to someone about your marital/relationship status, you are obtaining consent on the basis of fraud.  I recall that there was a case in crim law class about this where the man lied and said that he was the woman's husband, but this seems to be completely different.

It's funny that so many people claimed that the idea that the presence of Michael Sam on a team might cause distractions in the locker room was pretextual, a stand-in for homophobia.  It turns out, though, that Michael Sam might be causing a distraction in the locker room.  This might be bad for his cause.  (Update: apparently there has been a change of heart.)

The people who claimed Donald Sterling would fight losing his team were wrong - well, they gave an incomplete answer anyway.  Apparently he's going to fight the fine and lifetime ban as well.

Do you think this guy should resign?

The rule effectively provides for strict liability, but do you think this is fair?  (The NFL's response is here.)

Mark Cuban continues to be the MVP of the Donald Sterling saga.

Responses:

1. I think he's right, but that's not necessarily inconsistent with what Amy Chua would say.  I think one of the most compelling aspects of the tiger mom approach is that kids don't know their own limitations.  I wouldn't want my kids to give up because it's hard.  Also, I don't recall anything in high school (or below) being sufficiently challenging to warrant giving up, but maybe that's just me.  (College, on the other hand...)  I liked his breakdown: if you're good at it and you find it interesting then that's a career, if you're good at it but it's not interesting then move on, if you're bad at it but it's interesting then that's a hobby, etc.

2. The claim is that he didn't have fun, and he obfuscates the real point of the exchange (did he have fun?) by making the subject "last night" instead of "I."  He wouldn't be a catfisher because they just met up, but he maybe didn't have a great time.  I observe these things when people lie pretty regularly.

3. Yes, I've heard of trigger warnings, and they're bunk.  This is another example of, "Hey world, you have to change to fit my lifestyle."  The author is pretty blatantly conflating reactions to trigger warnings with reactions towards trauma survivors.

R2R:

2. I think Boise State knew.  Colleges are often constrained by the NCAA because the rules are dumb, but sometimes even a media story won't get them to budge.  I mean, it took years to get cream cheese for the bagels.

4. Given his position and skill set, I think those teams were legitimately interested.

B