Dr. Phil to Twitter: Is it OK to have sex with drunk girl?
A tweet from the famous TV shrink gets a stormy reaction from his followers and others. It is later removed.
Some questions you simply shouldn't ask. Especially in public.
One reason might be that the question is insulting and the answer is obvious.
Many seem to have felt that way about a tweet sent out by famed TV mind-helper Dr. Phil on Tuesday.
Dr. Phil often takes to Twitter to ask questions that might be the subject of upcoming shows.
This time, he tweeted: "If a girl is drunk, is it OK to have sex with her? Reply yes or no to @drphil #teensaccused."
It isn't recorded just how many "yes" or "no" replies were received. However, tweets directed at Dr. Phil were not of the "yes, that's a really good question" variety.
For example, author Caissie St. Onge mused: "If Dr. Phil is drunk is it okay for him to tweet?"
Some might find humor (or not) in the news that the doctor doesn't, in fact, drink.
Still, as CNN reports, the tweet has been removed, a Change.org petition was launched against it, and there followed an apology.
A representative for the doctor said, "This was a research post in preparation for a show, not a personal post, and Dr. Phil deleted it the second he saw it. It was clearly ill-advised. We sincerely apologize that it suggested anything other than what was intended, data gathering."
The Change.org petition, started by former college sexual assault activist Carmen Rios, calls for Dr. Phil to have a show where the voices of the survivors of rape and sexual assault can be fully heard and understood.
There is no such thing as "asking for it." Just as there is no such thing as "no means yes."
Technology's mere existence has even allowed rapists, after the act itself, to find sick and perverted glory in their own actions.
Many will remember that for the young men in the Steubenville case, cell phones were readily available to take pictures and send them.
But just on Wednesday came a report of an alleged rapist who grabbed his victim's cell phone and sent her family explicit messages.
Whether alcohol is involved or not, there are no excuses, just as there should be no questions about what's OK and what isn't.