As I was falling asleep last night I had the TV on and I heard on the local news that the president of Duke apologized to the lacrosse players and their families. I have no idea if this was national news as I am relatively close to Duke so this may have only made the local media, I also saw an article about it in the local paper and the article is here. He said that Duke should have done more to support their players and to show that the university was behind its students. He said that the university should have pointed out that the young men were innocent until proven guilty. Brodhead, the Duke president, also noted that some faculty spoke out against these young men and he or someone from the administration should have condemned their speaking out. He felt that by not saying anything it was assumed that this was the university's position and not the position of any individual faculty member. He was also bowing to pressure from alumni and players' families, according to the article.
Well I hate to tell everyone, but these young men were condemned by everyone for what was assumed to be a rape case. This was national news and most of the media was talking about how tragic these events were and how these young men should not have been able to hire a stripper on a college campus. The fact that Duke did not say anything should be commended. Brodhead notes, "he was initially concerned that if Duke spoke out too forcefully it might have appeared that 'a well-connected institution was improperly attempting to influence the judicial process." And this is exactly what would have been the case. This was a case for the judicial system to sort out, this was not for any college to discuss. I understand saying they should have pledged their support, but as a college president why would you want to appear to support rapists on your campus?
There is another issue here that bothers me. The fact that the young men at Duke got away with something because they were white and rich. I understand that it has now been proven that the girl in question was lying, but she was still at a Duke lacrosse party and was still stripping for a bunch of college students. She was still hired by these students and it seems that these young men were not totally innocent either. There were reports of racial slurs being thrown at her among other things. I am not condemning the hiring of strippers, I am not condemning young men watching women take off their clothes (hell I like this as much as the next guy), but this case came down to the race of the people involved. If the athletes had been black and the women white and the same circumstances had occurred the same way, there would not have been the same backlash. I am pretty sure that the DA would not have lost his job over it, sure he may have been censured and there would have been repercussions for the shoddy job he did in the investigating of this case, but he would not have lost his job. There would not be people screaming for the president of the college to apologize for the lack of support that was given by the university among them Jay Bilas who is an analyst for ESPN and a former Duke basketball player.
When this happens again and it will happen again, if it hasn't already several times over, where a young women is on a college campus working as a stripper or entertainer or even just at a party and this time she is raped by one or more people, will she report it? Has the Duke lacrosse case shown young women that by reporting rape, your whole life will be put on display and that in the end it is about 50-50 whether they will even be charged, especially if the men are white and you are a minority? This seems to be taking place to close to the Jena 6 case. Will anyone lose their job over what was basically a school yard fight and the whole judicial system overreacted? Will anyone apologize for not supporting these young men from the school or other public forum? This is just another case of where it is good to be white and rich in America, you get separate justice form the rest of us especially the poor and minority.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
"Has the Duke lacrosse case shown young women that by reporting rape, in the end it is about 50-50 whether they will even be charged"?
Ummm, the Duke players WERE charged. Even when the DA already knew they didn't do it.
"When a young woman is even just at a party and this time she is raped by one or more people, will she report it?"
Probably not. But this is the fault of Ms Mangum herself. She LIED. She herself hurt the credibility of women who bring real rape charges. She herself gave a green light to future rapists, who can now say "the accuser is lying" and cite this case.
I am furious at her.I WAS raped years ago. My rapist's attorney said I was lying. They always do. Now they have ammo. Thanks for giving rapists and shysters more courtroom credibility, Ms. Mangum.
And, BTW,"the fact that the young men at Duke got away with something because they were white and rich" is a really dumb statement. First, what makes it a "fact"? That you say it is? They "got away" with hiring a stripper and one of them used a racial slur. Last I heard, this is not the legal definition of rape, which is what they were charged with and smeared for.
"This case came down to the race of the people involved." No, that was the indictment. The DA already knew the woman was lying when he charged the white boys with RAPE (instead of hate speech, if that's a crime in Durham). He wanted the black vote for his reelection.
Even pigs like these rich white male lacrosse players should not be libeled as rapists when they DID NOT RAPE anyone. Being a rich white asshole is not legally the definition of rape.
[And, since we don't know those guys personally, maybe they're not even assholes. Maybe just the one who used the slur. Who knows? I don't. YOU don't.]
Finally, what does the Jena case have to do with a false rape accusation? If (big surprise)racism is alive and well in Louisiana, does that mean it's okay to knowingly falsely accuse & indict someone else as a rapist?
But mostly, damn that woman for hurting real rape victims in the future.
These kids were not rich white assholes.
Your stereotypes and racial hatred is flat-out despicable. The Duke Hoax proved to be on of the largest cases of prosecutorial misconduct in modern American history.
If these men were not white and rich, the blatantly obvious false charges never would have been brought, period. Nifong used this case as a race-baiting tool, pandering to the African American community, according to the North Carolina State Bar.
In the Jena 6 case, there was a real victim. A kid was attacked by six males and was rendered unconscious, a tad bit of a stretch from a schoolyard fight as you describe it. And he didn't provoke it. Do they deserved to be charged with murder? Hell no. Did they commit assault, and is there strong evidence against them? Yes, which is why they should face time regardless of their skin color.
In the Duke Hoax, there was NO CRIME, thus no real victim. Comparing these cases is comparing apples to oranges, and truly exposes the real double standard, that the media rushes to accuse defendants when they are white, but offer incredible support when they are a minority.
I predict that you were one of the many to rush to judge in the Duke Hoax, based on your view of wealthy, white males.
For the record, get your facts straight. The only racial slur at the party came as a retaliation when Kim Roberts, the dancer who was not the false accuser, started a racially heated argument, as she has admitted herself, by calling one of the students at the party a "limp di*k white cracker boy". Is that not a racial slur?
The Duke case showed that racism, all types, is disgusting, but applies to all ends of the spectrum. You are stereotyping, as others across the country did, the real victims in the Duke Hoax, solely because they were rich and white. If you care about fighting stereotypes, perhaps you need to look no further than in the mirror.
By the way, there is no information out in the public record. The Duke Lacrosse team has proven to be a group of exceptional student athletes, who are not only outstanding students (highest GPA of all Division I lacrosse teams), outstanding athletes (2nd in the nation), and exceptional young men (Read the Coleman Committee Report).
Your facts are flagrantly wrong, and even worse, perhaps at least, your stereotyping and overall mindset will continue to hold back race relations for years, along with the other culprits, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.
Glad to see that racist apologists are brave enough to hide behind an anonymous moniker.
I'm underwhelmed and not the least bit surprised.
Shame on you, Boxer, for not understanding that only whites can be victims and the only criminals are not white.
Get it right next time, will ya?
Signed,
DCup
Post a Comment