I applaud the intentions of this piece, but I think that expecting someone to ask permission for each action is going too far. “May I hold your hand?” “May I kiss you a second time?” “May I touch your…?” “May I ask you to go out with me?” (instead of merely saying, “Let’s go out sometime!”)

Human interaction is not so stilted. There is such a thing as body language, and facial expressions. The protocol has always been, try, and if she does not respond positively, back off. The problem is, some guys don’t back off.

And that won’t change by making all of the “good guys” ask permission for every step. All it will do is make every normal situation seem weird.

#MeToo has raised awareness of real problems. But the solution is not to put artificial and unnatural behavioral rules in place. What we need to do, IMO, is to impress on people that if someone indicates no — whether through words or body language — that it means no.

And also to impress on women that if you say no, you really mean it — and don’t expect the guy to persist — which some women do — that’s “playing hard to get”. Playing hard to get is inconsistent with #MeToo and needs to go. Adults should be clear about what they want and not play games. And I think that might be what Shannon is really talking about here.