A video of a man in Georgia addressing a class of boys is blowing up on TikTok, wherein he teaches them what consent actually looks like. With the help of the class’s teacher, they demonstrate what a “real yes” is through hugs.
Posted by TikTok user Newemergingking, King—activist and founder of the X for Boys Life Prep School—stands at the front of a class of young boys with their teacher, Ms. Morgan. They pretend to act out greetings, with King following up with asking for a hug. Ms. Morgan declines, but King pushes for one. “Why not? It’s just a hug?” he says, sounding a little peeved. The teacher relents and King hugs her.
“That is not a yes. Understand that?” King says to the class. The class responds to King’s follow-up questions, asking for clarification. They say “No, sir” when asked if that was a ‘yes.’ It ultimately came down to the teacher’s body language and her reluctance.
King then speaks of self respect. “If somebody ain’t hugging you back, do you even want that?” He helps them understand that it’s meant to be a mutual gesture, that the other person has to “want” what you want. “If they don’t want that, then we let that slide.”
The two then act out asking for someone’s phone to make a call. Once again, King pushes the envelope, getting Ms. Morgan to relinquish her phone so he can call his mother. The students see right through King’s act, knowing he only got a ‘yes’ because he “convinced” Ms. Morgan.
To end the lesson, King explains that if they have to give “attitude” and “convincing” and “getting mad,” then the young boys have no business asking people of anything. Ms. Morgan and King then demonstrate a “real yes,” with her giving an enthusiastic ‘yes’ when King politely asks for a hug.
How People Online Reacted to King’s Lesson on TikTok
With over 1.2 million views, 14,000 comments, and 84,000 bookmarks on TikTok, people had a lot to say about King’s messaging. One TikTok viewer shared an image of money, telling King to “Go buy some podcast equipment and a tour bus.” In the same thread, numerous people agreed, with one saying, “Quickly. We need someone to combat the manosphere podcasts.”
Among the top comments on King’s TikTok video, a viewer asked, “Can you hold a lesson at a college frat?” Others were not as enthusiastic about that idea, suggesting those kinds of men were too far gone. “They know and they dgaf. It only works on younger kids.”
Other TikTok users took this as an opportunity to drag U.S. politicians. “Is this class available for presidents? Asking for America.” One commenter even asked if King would be teaching his lesson on consent to “members of Congress.”
Many were thankful of how King handled the lesson, especially when it came to helping the class understand how someone typically acts when they do in fact want to say yes. “Thank you for teaching enthusiastic consent!” wrote one TikTok viewer. Another wished all of her “tax dollars” would fund this.
