Amy Jo Clark and Miriam Weaver

Heather Mac Donald recently wrote a piece, "Neo-Victorianism on Campus," for The Weekly Standard that discussed the "bizarre hybrid of liberationist and traditionalist values" we are watching unfold at universities that are implementing highly technical policies to define consent in the context of students' sexual escapades. In essence, liberal feminists, who are in no small part responsible for creating the hook-up culture, now are demanding that they be protected by complicated sexual consent rules. In other words, they are once again victimizing themselves. Surprise!

Claremont McKenna College and Occidental College have elaborate sexual conduct policies and consent rules, full of jargon like this: "Effective consent consists of an affirmative, conscious decision by each participant to engage in mutually agreed upon (and the conditions of) sexual activity." Consent involves several "essential elements," which include "informed and reciprocal," "freely and actively given," "mutually understandable," and "not indefinite." It requires that "All parties must demonstrate a clear and mutual understanding of the nature and scope of the act to which they are consenting and a willingness to do the same thing, at the same time, in the same way."

We could get on board with that, as absurdly technical as it sounds, if not for the fact that the withdrawal of consent "can be based on an outward demonstration that conveys that an individual is hesitant, confused, uncertain, or is no longer a mutual participant." So, the way that nearly everyone behaves in an initial sexual encounter (hesitant, uncertain) could and should be construed as the withdrawal of consent. Ridiculous.

If you're a dude, take note. A woman can claim that you should've been able to tell she was hesitant or uncertain because of things she didn't say.

Consent rules fail to hold women the tiniest bit accountable for their behavior. Let's be clear. We're not talking about cases of rape or sexual assault. Those are horrible acts no woman deserves. We're talking specifically about women who pull the sexual assault card simply because they have day-after remorse about throwing themselves at a guy the night before. Campus consent rules put the full weight of responsibility on guys' shoulders.

As Mac Donald writes, "the male is the sole guardian of female safety." If a guy has been drinking heavily, he's responsible for his behavior. If a girl has been drinking heavily, she's not responsible for her own behavior. In no other instance is this true (both sexes are responsible if they choose to drink and drive, for example).

In the case of John and Jane Doe at Occidental College, both were drunk. Both agreed to have sex. Jane even asked if John had a condom, and texted her friends to announce her plans to have sex. But John was held entirely responsible and was the "only member of the pair obligated to evaluate the mental capacities of his partner." Jane was faultless. She regretted her actions, and therefore decided John had sexually assaulted her. How is this OK with anyone?

This, Mac Donald points out, is "emblematic not of 'rape culture' but of the emotional fallout from sexual liberation." Feminists years ago insisted they were equal to men on the "sexual battlefield" and were entitled to sexual freedom. Today's feminists are whining that university administrations must develop policies to protect them from mean, scary boys. They're far too helpless to have responsibility for their own sexual (sometimes promiscuous) behavior.

That's the disconnect that Mac Donald so brilliantly highlights. The solution? To reject the hook-up culture. She writes, "Just as girls can avoid the risk of what the feminists call 'rape' by not getting drunk and getting into bed with a guy whom they barely know, boys, too, can radically reduce the risk of a rape accusation by themselves not getting drunk and having sex with a girl whom they barely know ... Such efforts at self-control were made before, and can be made again."

So, ironically, liberal feminists who were behind the sexual revolution are unwittingly providing the reason to revert to a culture of sexual modesty. Well played, feminists.

Amy Jo Clark is known as Daisy, and Miriam Weaver as Mockarena. They write a blog (www.chicksontheright.com) and host a show on WIBC-FM (93.1), Indianapolis.