# When did you stop beating your wife? Challenging loaded questions in FQ

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-beating-your-wife-challenging-loaded-questions-in-fq/977291>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [December 29, 2022, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-beating-your-wife-challenging-loaded-questions-in-fq/977291 "2022-12-29T17:22:35Z")\
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**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\
**Post date:** [December 30, 2022, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-beating-your-wife-challenging-loaded-questions-in-fq/977291/42 "2022-12-30T16:07:25Z")

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> [@Ruken](#):
>
> It’s an FQ thread; there was no “should”

But part of the OP question was:

> [@Any evidence that teaching kids about healthy boundaries and consent to physical contact reduces abuse?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-evidence-that-teaching-kids-about-healthy-boundaries-and-consent-to-physical-contact-reduces-abuse/977225/25):
>
> Is this particular child rearing strategy having any positive effects?

so it seems to me that pointing out that there could be positive effects in other areas than childhood sexual abuse directly addresses that part of the question.

In addition, I’m still asking whether saying that answers to a FQ in the form in which it was asked would be misleading is forbidden; though I don’t expect there’s been time for an answer to that.

> [@Riemann](#):
>
> The OP was loaded with the assumption that parenting strategies in general _should_ only be based on empirical evidence; and specifically that teaching bodily autonomy and consent _should_ be justified by empirical studies of abuse outcomes.

I’m actually objecting on different grounds: that even if empirical studies of abuse outcomes exist and show no benefit, they’d be insufficient to show that the strategy doesn’t work, as it would also be necessary to do studies of whether the strategy worked in other areas. And the OP did specifically ask about the strategy working.

But I think that what you’re saying does also address the issue, because it points out an additional area in which the strategy could be working, whether or not it has an effect on whether the child is sexually abused or commits sexual abuse.

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