By now you may have heard about the guilty verdict given in the horrifying Steubenville rape trial. You may also have heard the disgust at the manner in which it’s been reported.
Here’s the CNN clip on the verdict:
You know, you think we’ve evolved past this – both the callousness of the crime, and a “blaming the victim” mentality. And you think journalism isn’t as bad as it seems. But when the anchor, Candy, and the reporter, Poppy, can only muster their “concerned” voices to talk about how sad this is for the rapists to see their futures impacted? It’s tough not to feel horror at ourselves.
Can you even imagine a report with this much concern and sympathy for the victim? Not just laying out all the gruesome details for our voyeuristic entertainment, I mean actually showing sadness – even faux “reporter sadness” – for the victim? It’s almost un-picturable, isn’t it.
And, if I may say as a man? This “boys will be boys” crap is also insulting to us as a gender; the implication that men are so base and stupid that they can’t help but rape, so it must be the victim’s fault.
And CNN’s getting the brunt, but it’s hardly isolated.
Let’s be better than this, okay humanity? In every respect. Let’s just be better than this.
** Addendum: As much as I’d like to stay focused on me, me, me, Henry Rollins has written a very eloquent, thoughtful piece on the verdict. Please read it here.**
The Byronic Man 
March 19, 2013 at 3:12 am
How sad and scary is it that. Not a single word on how the girls life was ruined.
India has a very high crime rate rape cases on .all time high and all we get to hear is how women are at fault or how we should dress up or how alcohol corrupts a mans mind
Are MEN in natural state of rapists that they see a woman and pounce on her.!!!!
And the media lesser said the better.
The boys had a promising carrier what about girl!!
March 19, 2013 at 11:35 am
Yeah, some of the stories that come out of India are really disturbing. I guess it takes time for people to change how they think, but hasn’t it been long enough?
March 19, 2013 at 3:31 am
Honestly, who are we any more? The other, very disturbing piece to this mess is the fact that there were so many other kids involved who stood in SILENCE as it was all going on….that to me is beyond frightening. Have we become so entranced in “filming” these horrific events that we don’t recognize the reality?
The boys had promising careers? Really? They’re in high school…they’re 16 for god sakes! The girl is traumatized for the rest of her life. Raped, photographed, videoed and humiliated, not by some thug in a dark alley…by her FRIENDS in the comfortable setting of a home.
The reporting on this story is a disgrace to humanity and does nothing more than rape and humiliate this girl again.
Thanks B-man for getting me all crazy at 6:30 in the morning!
March 19, 2013 at 11:36 am
Yeah, it’s a shocking by-product of the tech age we’re in. Why not film it? Photograph it? Text about it? It’s all just entertainment.
March 19, 2013 at 4:00 am
I won’t waste space typing about rapists being wrong, they are by definition. The news media, on the other hand, has really botched the telling of this story and given millions of people the wrong message. Perhaps once one station got it wrong, the other ones had to get it wrong-er.
Thanks B-man, for the voice of reason.
March 19, 2013 at 11:37 am
Hopefully there will be enough outcry that news outlets will respond to the public response. If they can’t do the right thing because it’s moral, maybe they will because of market share.
March 19, 2013 at 4:01 am
I wrote about this yesterday too.I was SO angry and when I did my write up – the only news source that had reported this way was CNN. Then as the day progressed the other media stations jumped on the pity bandwagon. It is despicable to me.
March 19, 2013 at 11:43 am
Yeah, my first draft was pretty incoherent. I wouldn’t call this coherent, but it’s closer…
March 19, 2013 at 4:24 am
As a person who survived rape at 17-years-old, our lives aren’t ruined – but they are forever changed. Hopefully, she will get the help she needs to rise above this mess. It is a mess, but it CAN be cleaned up. She will survive.
March 20, 2013 at 12:07 pm
Grant, I haven’t been following it closely beyond the facts and so I haven’t heard of people saying that, but I don’t doubt for a second people are saying her life is “ruined.” Hopefully they’re not selling her short. Hopefully it’s not rooted in the middle-ages thinking of a girl being “ruined.”
March 20, 2013 at 4:57 pm
Well, even some of the people commenting here are referring to the fact that she is “damaged” and calling her a “victim.” We are stronger than people think.
March 19, 2013 at 4:24 am
Well said, B-man. The whole incident from start to finish really is a long condemnation of our voyeuristic society. And of course we blame the victim. We do no matter what the crime (who is paying for the mortgage crisis, the bankers?). The list goes on and on.
March 19, 2013 at 12:59 pm
And yet, strangely, when someone truly seems to be a victim – of, say, severe mental illness – we are only too happy to write them off as a “monster.” It’s like we’re so busy with who we want people to be, we don’t have time for who they are, and we blame anyone who messes up that image.
March 19, 2013 at 4:25 am
“And, if I may say as a man? This “boys will be boys” crap is also insulting to us as a gender; the implication that men are so base and stupid that they can’t help but rape, so it must be the victim’s fault.”
Preach it! If we are going to overturn and overcome this cultural sickness, we need everybody to speak out on how it damages and cheapens all of us. The media angers me enough with its voyeuristic tendencies during disasters, but this… disgusting.
March 19, 2013 at 1:01 pm
I remember some years ago a college put up an “art” display saying “Warning: the following students are potential rapists” with a list below of every single male student. On one hand, an interesting way to draw attention, but on the other hand – feeds the very notion it’s hoping to dispel.
March 19, 2013 at 4:35 am
Well said. If only more people thought this way.
The media really disgusts me, even more so after hearing this.
March 19, 2013 at 4:45 am
I’ve been rocked several times by hearing about the aftermath of rape – knowing women who were blamed or too afraid to speak up. I, too, like to think we’ve evolved past a certain mindset, but no matter the community, the upbringing, or the individuals involved, there’s still this deep-seated notion that the victim is somehow at fault.
March 19, 2013 at 1:05 pm
The shame is so unfortunate; understandable, I suppose, but such a hold-over of primitive thinking. I read an interesting essay once by a convict who proposed that women who are too ashamed to admit rape should charge the attacker with indecent exposure. It’s not a lie, the assailant probably won’t fight the charge for fear of HOW he exposed himself emerging. Plus, the attacker has to register as a sex-offender, and if they offend again they go to prison – where they’re in as a flasher, which is considered pathetic and despicable in prison society.
Obviously, not feeling scared or ashamed is a better route, but I thought that was interesting in a strategic sense.
March 19, 2013 at 5:10 am
Wonder if they are assuming that people know brutal rape is and just its mere mention is enough. But then again they’ve never dissected one like they do other major news events.
March 19, 2013 at 1:08 pm
Of course they’re limited by not wanting to reveal the identity of the victim, so maybe that holds things back, but it’s weird that the pendulum then swings so far to the other side.
March 19, 2013 at 5:21 am
Spot on! I hope the public’s eyes are finally opened. Thank you for drawing attention to this.
March 19, 2013 at 1:08 pm
That’s nice of you to suggest my little corner of the internet could have any impact on anything… I would love it if it could.
March 19, 2013 at 5:29 am
Just the tone is offensive to me. The “poor promising boys” thing they are trying to convey. The whole “they apologized!” and were so sad and broke down thing. It just turns my stomach. And those poor boys will actually have to register as sex offenders. Sex offenders! Can you believe it? Those promising football stars reduced to this. So tragic. And can you believe that the one gets an extra YEAR in jail just for taking a picture of the naked girl and distributing it? What’s this world coming to if a boy can’t forcibly have sex with a drunk girl, pee on her and then photograph her without repercussions? The horror!
I am comforted to know that the boys’ new roommates in prison will be able to console them and dry their tears. Forcibly, I hope.
March 19, 2013 at 1:11 pm
It tells you how primitive our brains are. “Register as sex offenders? But these are ‘good people’! ‘Bad people’ have to register as sex offenders.”
March 19, 2013 at 5:59 am
I was disgusted by CNN’s reporting of this verdict and sentencing. They commented on “the poor boys who lives were ruined” but not one word on the poor girl who was raped and degraded and whose life was also ruined. The boys got what they deserved, not a scholarship but jail time for what they did. I for one am glad the judge ruled in this manner.
March 19, 2013 at 1:12 pm
It makes you wonder how things would have turned out if it had been tried by a jury (they were minors, so that wasn’t an option). I’m glad we don’t have to find out.
March 19, 2013 at 6:45 am
I’ve seen this video posted around, but didn’t watch it before – and it’s as bad as everyone said. It really comes across as though those boys were the victims. And the first kid says a few sentences of “apology” – “I’m sorry I sent those pictures around.” What the hell? Are you sorry you did a monstrous thing to another human being?
The other kid was clearly more upset, but at what? That he is capable of such acts? That he hurt soemone? or that his life is “ruined”? I have to wonder how bad and apologetic those boys would be feeling had their crime not been exposed to the world.
And I hope they convict every adult that knew about this after the fact and did nothing about it. And every kid who let it happen that night, or who passed around those photos. This is about more than the amount of alcohol involved. It’s about who we are becoming.
March 19, 2013 at 7:22 am
That’s one of the things that just boggles my mind: he doesn’t break down and cry for what he’s done, he said, “My life is over. No one will want me now,” (presumably meaning to play ball?). He’s weeping for how this will impact him.
March 19, 2013 at 7:27 am
The media we are exposed to – news, television shows, movies, everything – is not in the business of cultivating a nation of compassionate individuals. There’s no money in that.
March 19, 2013 at 6:48 am
Great post. Excellent observation. Disgusting.
March 19, 2013 at 6:49 am
It makes me ashamed that I have ever even considered myself part of the media. I have no words. Just disgust.
March 19, 2013 at 1:13 pm
Of course, “the media” is a vast realm, and some of the most important cultural discoveries have come about because of it… but the dark side of it is like a mirror to our worst selves.
March 19, 2013 at 7:01 am
With you on every word here.
I think this is also an extension of the way we deify sports stars. Had the two boys been average kids instead of ones with “promising football careers” it would have been portrayed differently, I think. What is it about our culture that idolizes men who can throw a ball and swing a bat but largely ignores those who put their talents to use for the greater good. The scientists who have nearly confirmed Higgs Boson come to mind.
I’ve personally had it with celebrity in general and this just puts another nail in the coffin.
March 19, 2013 at 1:14 pm
I’m also curious what that means: they’re high-schoolers. Did they really have promising “careers” in football? Really? Both of them? Or does that moniker just lend sympathy to their “plight”?
March 19, 2013 at 7:07 am
The reporting on this has been infuriating! Victims tend to blame themselves after something like this anyway but the last thing they need is our society heaping blame on them too. And if we start raising boys to believe this crap that a rampaging sex drive (or whatever blather they’re saying) is a “natural” part of masculinity we’d better start teaching our girls to travel in packs for safety. It all does sound a little too much like something from the dark ages…
March 19, 2013 at 1:16 pm
It’s always startling when you meet guys who’ve been raised to believe that they should behave however they want, follow every impulse and never act like adults, and believe that people should forever clean up after them.
March 19, 2013 at 7:29 am
I like you comment about the boys will be boys crap–and I do believe we can all do better–excellent post
Where was the hue and outcry for the victim?
March 20, 2013 at 12:08 pm
It was there when people could savor the gory details…
March 19, 2013 at 7:39 am
Thank you.
March 19, 2013 at 7:41 am
It is so infuriating, I’m speechless. Seems so obvious that we should focus on the victim’s trauma, and that these boys committed a horrible crime…oh, and the simple fact that men SHOULDN’T RAPE EVER.
One of my friends sent me this older video, a satire on the subject from the Onion that shows this perfectly:
March 20, 2013 at 12:10 pm
Occasionally The Onion is willing to go dark in their satire, and they still manage to get it right on.
March 19, 2013 at 7:46 am
I used to teach Sociology of Women in college. Most students (male and female) believed that issues of gender inequality were non-starters in today’s world. They felt strongly that the notion that we have a culture in which women are not valued equally to men was outdated and ridiculous.
If I were teaching today, this is the kind of thing I would point to as an example of how very wrong they are.
March 20, 2013 at 12:09 pm
Isn’t that weird when people seem to believe that prejudice and inequality just don’t exist anymore? Then if you point out a glaring example, they say, “Oh, well that’s different…”
March 20, 2013 at 1:27 pm
Yes. People want to believe what they want to believe. Let’s not confuse them with the facts! 😉
March 19, 2013 at 8:01 am
For many years now, much of life and how the media portrays it has me scratching my head and saying, “have I fallen down the rabbit hole? Is this real?” I just don’t get it. Well put and, unfortunately, this needed to be said, B-man.
March 20, 2013 at 12:10 pm
Thanks… I’m fighting the urge to re-write it, because I just kind of spewed it, and now I feel like I’ve got my thoughts more together.
March 19, 2013 at 8:21 am
You lost me at “by now you may have heard…” I know nothing of the rape, trial, and those involved. We do not have cable, so we are not inundated with the crap they call “journalism” these days. Sadly, what you said comes as no surprise – from the molestations that take/took place within the Catholic community, the sexual activity that took place with the assistant coach at the university, and the countless other incidents that play out before us in the news/social media – we are becoming desensitized and it is clouding the judgement (majorly clouding) of others.
March 20, 2013 at 12:12 pm
I rarely (okay, pretty much never) watch TV news, but if I ever see it on I find it interesting to play “spot the news.” Watching and tallying what’s, in fact, news, and what’s just appealing to prurience or fear mongering.
March 19, 2013 at 8:30 am
While it is painful to watch two boys who could have done so much good, the truth is that they made bad decisions. They hurt this girl, they humiliated her, they made these bad decisions and must suffer the consequences of their actions like every other person.
I can’t imagine what this girl is going through. She may have made poor decisions, but it did not make it okay or her fault for the rape. I pray she gets the support and love she needs.
March 19, 2013 at 8:52 am
Wow, I had no idea. I don’t watch the news. Watching this made me so angry I had to go email CNN and let them know I expect a sensational public apology, not that I’ll see it because I don’t watch the news, but the apology should be as sensational as the pity they showed for convicted rapists. Because somewhere, in some town, some young man is receiving the message that rape is okay, that the sentence, even if they’re caught, will be one year, and that sucks a little bit, but they’ll get to be famous and pitied on t.v., and that the victim isn’t worth mentioning, because she’s nothing but a blip on their record. Ugh. I need to go throw up a little bit. This is why I don’t watch the news.
March 20, 2013 at 12:13 pm
And that’s the collateral damage – the people who see that stuff and think, “This is how the world works” and that defines their sense of normal.
March 19, 2013 at 8:56 am
I’m trying to figure out how best to word my reply… in spite of the fact that I’m a writer.
I think I understand the way CNN was TRYING to handle this. I was actually surprised that they didn’t censor the name of the girl that was uttered by the first defendant when he stood to make his apology; she has not been identified and letting people hear that kid say her name was not the wisest course of action. But that speaks to my point: we don’t commonly identify victims of sexual crimes. In protecting their identities, we (as a society) tend to sort of handcuff ourselves to how much empathy we can express. Hear me out: I know that doesn’t mean we have to fawn all over the suspects. But I don’t think that’s what CNN was trying to do. We don’t see her. We don’t hear from her. We don’t talk with her. Our compassion for her is, of course, limitless, and I haven’t heard any situations in which she as the victim has been blamed – though you’re right – we do still do that too much, which absolutely enrages me.
But here’s what I think CNN was trying to do: It is very rare to have cameras in a juvenile court hearing. It is exceedingly rare to see convicted rapists emote this way. What this did was tell the other side of the story. Yes, victims need help, understanding and unequivocal support – if you’ve read any of my posts on victim advocacy or my stalker situation, you know I believe that fervently and I’m walking that walk instead of just talking the talk. But what this whole case does is force us to consider what it’s like to be the kid convict. We do well to consider that, too. Isn’t it inhumane of us to refuse to acknowledge the humanity of those boys?
The other thing to keep in mind here – just indulge me – is that the national media have been lambasting these convicted kids for weeks. They’ve been made into monsters with every story. And again – let me be absolutely clear – what they did is completely, uncategorically unacceptable and disgusting. And whether their emotion was because of their true sorrow or just because they now realize how much one night is going to ruin the rest of their lives, they are still guilty. But they’re kids, and this case brings to light that there is always another side, another family affected. Most rapists aren’t sorry. I think these guys are. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be convicted or punished. But that fact should be considered.
I hope I’ve made my thoughts clear in this blog-post-within-a-comment. 🙂
March 19, 2013 at 7:01 pm
I can see the humanity in those boys–the emotions, the fear. They ARE young; some may even categorize them as children. But give them more credit than that. They knew what they were doing. They knew it was wrong. (If they didn’t, then God help us all.) In this new digital age, everything is a joke, a trite story, a status update, or just a photo. They viewed this girl as a throw away, a toy, and proved it by documenting the experience. They did not respect her humanity when they raped her, then posed with her limp body. In turn, I do not see their tears and feel sorry for them. I see their tears, their fear, and their sentence as a consequence for behavior that is unfathomable. They SHOULD be feeling every ounce of their own humanity and emotion right now. I know I am.
March 20, 2013 at 12:17 pm
I’m a fervent believer in juvenile sentencing, and the nature of the crime – as ghastly as it is – certainly suggests a child’s brain at work. Did they know what they were doing? Definitely. Were they able to comprehend the meaning of it? Doesn’t seem like it, or they wouldn’t have been texting and photographing.
I also agree with you on sympathy for the criminals – my instinct, like anyone’s, is for vengeance, but that’s why I’m glad there’s a justice system. And you are very possibly right on CNN’s intentions, but boy do I think they (and others) botched the execution, if that’s what they were going for. The implication of the report is a miscarriage of justice and their plight.
I suspect – based solely on analogous situations in the past – they may have been in such a rush to not get left behind on the “Breaking News” front that communication played distant second to “what can we say?!”
March 20, 2013 at 2:26 pm
I think you’re right that it was mishandled. I think they, at the very least, didn’t make clear what they were trying to do. And though I don’t expect or even desire sympathy for the rapists per se, I do think that we would benefit as a society from coming to better understandings about why things like this happen, instead of writing their perpetrators off. As Rachelocal pointed out above: technology seems to be dehumanizing us. If that’s true, this is a generation at risk, and understanding what drives young people to crimes like this might be pivotal to stopping it from happening.
March 19, 2013 at 9:01 am
Seriously. Alcohol was a big factor here. Oh, well that’s definitely relevant and explains everything. You can imagine how distraught these poor kids were when they learned they’d actually have to take responsibility for their actions. Wahhh. Aw, your coach didn’t cover it up good enough? That’s a first. Ugh, ok, I’m done.
March 20, 2013 at 12:21 pm
There are a lot of situations in which “alcohol was a factor” is fair. You email someone and tell them you love them and their butt is fantastic? “Sorry. Alcohol was a factor.” You buy every season of ‘Highway To Heaven’ on eBay? “Yeah, that’d be the alcohol.”
But prolonged violence and cruelty? If alcohol becomes an “out” for that, what hope do we have for accountability.
March 20, 2013 at 1:11 pm
I guess they were also drunk when they were spreading rumors about her and asking their coach to cover it up. And don’t forget that she was drunk so it’s her fault. Ok, I’m really done now.
March 20, 2013 at 2:05 pm
Ah yes, the “she was drunk” out. Basically, it’s a subtle way of saying, “She’s a sinner, so she had it coming.”
We’re gross.
March 20, 2013 at 6:23 pm
word.
March 19, 2013 at 9:57 am
Thanks for this. I made the mistake of reading the comments on some of the major news articles about this yesterday — there are a lot of people who think those “kids” did nothing wrong.
And now if you’ll excuse me, I’m just going to take a few deep breaths and remind myself that Internet comment sections are not an accurate reflection of society as a whole.
March 19, 2013 at 1:20 pm
Except here, of course. My comments section is a bastion of human goodness.
In general though? Yeah, terrifying.
March 19, 2013 at 10:16 am
Well said B-man! CNN is not known for their objective journalism, and that’s why I don’t watch it. Same goes for the other ‘sources’ I guess. If everyone who feels the same way as you do (I’m assuming that would be the majority) stops watching, then maybe things will change. Probably not though, but then at least you won’t have to worry about their sensationalism reporting.
Thank God, the judge was a fair one; the boys will serve their sentence. I hope it helps the girl in some way to get over this horrible experience.
March 19, 2013 at 12:22 pm
*Applause*
March 19, 2013 at 2:36 pm
Reblogged this on 25ToFly.
March 20, 2013 at 12:21 pm
Thanks! (ps – you may want to re-tag it… it’s currently listed as “humor”)
March 20, 2013 at 12:23 pm
Oh god…thanks for the heads up *facepalm*
March 19, 2013 at 2:38 pm
Thank you! I have been abstaining from network news lately, so I haven’t seen any of this, Watching that clip, and hearing Crowley ask “what will the effect be on these boys?” has reminded me of exactly WHY I have been abstaining from network news lately. The effect will be exactly what these kids deserve, and they most certainly do not deserve our pity because of it!
March 22, 2013 at 9:18 am
Yeah, I never watch news on TV – it’s too depressing… and not because of the content. In fact (snob alert) I generally read The Guardian because there’s so much more news about what’s actually happening in the US.
March 19, 2013 at 2:53 pm
The judge even seemed to have trouble getting the verdict out, as though he wasn’t saying it with total conviction. I read an article the other day saying that this case is incredibly hurtful because Steubenville is a depressed area, and that the football team was the bright spot in the community. Why are we even talking about this? The town may have raised good athletes, but it also raised rapists.
I’m sure by now you know about the two teen GIRLS who were arrested for making twitter threats against the victim.
Our society sucks.
March 22, 2013 at 9:18 am
Wow, I hadn’t heard about the threats against the girl. Good God.
March 19, 2013 at 2:57 pm
Journalistic standards have been dropping below acceptable standards for years now. This is barely the tip of the iceberg.
March 19, 2013 at 3:02 pm
The reporting on this is a joke, but not one that’s actually funny.
March 19, 2013 at 3:13 pm
The media is sorry. Sorry that two “promising” youth threw their lives away. Sorry that “no one will want them”. Too bad. Why didn’t they think of that when one penetrated the girl while the other slapped his penis on her hip. Were they thinking when the girl was given alcohol? Probably not. Sending photos of the nude, unconscious girl showed no concern. Anything on the internet is forever and can be traced. They got what they deserved. As far as the media, we get what we deserve. Tell them cut the BS and report the news. Let the editorials come from friends and relatives.
March 22, 2013 at 9:20 am
Yeah, it’s a funny blanket saying: “I’m sorry.” Sure, I think they’re sorry all right. Sorry they’re getting punished. Sorry people are being mean to them. Sorry everyone’s making such a big deal.
March 19, 2013 at 4:04 pm
It’s so upsetting to continually read and see these types of media reports. No wonder most victims of sexual assault and rape don’t come forward. As a female why can’t i get drunk and expect that the males around me will not rape me?!! I should be able to get drunk, walk on the streets around my neighbourhood at night and wear whatever clothes i want and not get raped. Because it is NEVER ok.
March 22, 2013 at 9:26 am
I suspect a big part of it might be that it’s a sense of vulnerability that men just don’t get. So they don’t think it’s there. I don’t know.
But it’s true: why WOULD you come forward? And if a woman defiantly came forward proudly, unashamedly, people would all think “Well, then it wasn’t that bad” or that “she just wants the attention.”
March 19, 2013 at 4:12 pm
Great post, B-Man. I linked to it in my post from today, along with a link to Henry Rollins’ excellent commentary. http://wp.me/p1MOqK-eb
March 19, 2013 at 5:47 pm
I was going to copy the link from Henry Rollins as well, nice to see it is already out there.
March 19, 2013 at 6:20 pm
Thanks. I’ve seen it in several places today already. Good!
March 19, 2013 at 9:05 pm
Yes, thanks – I was just going to add a link to that too. Beautifully said. Far, far better than I’ve put it.
March 20, 2013 at 7:05 pm
I think you did the job just fine, sir. The emotion and exasperation both come through beautifully.
March 19, 2013 at 4:58 pm
Well, how about the victim’s life that fell apart. This is so gross. Nice taking pictures of the girl too – what promising people they were – a load of crap….
March 19, 2013 at 5:11 pm
Why aren’t we better than this? I haven’t heard anything about this in the Australian media but it’s just appalling. Thank you for speaking up for men that should not be so base as to be unable to help themselves.
I wonder about prison for the pure purpose of retribution and punishment though. Do they receive some kind of education and rehabilitation? They are still children and as well as being punnished they need to be rehabilitated so as to continue with their lives as responsible young men.
March 22, 2013 at 9:30 am
That’s a whole other issue. People get so hysterical over crime that the only thought is revenge. No thought is given to what we want these people will be like when they get out of the system.
Our juvenile systems tend to focus a lot more on rehabilitation. Unfortunately, if the crime looks bad in the media, you can completely rehabilitate (which is totally possible to achieve with young people), but you’ll be transferred to adult prison at 21 despite all but guaranteeing that this will turn this person into exactly who we think we’re locking up.
March 19, 2013 at 5:58 pm
I saw a report that showed the boys weeping and sobbing. One hugging his natural father before going off to prison. I was unmoved. They engaged in an act of violence of their own free will. They harmed another with no thought for that person. How can they anyone claim they are victims?
March 19, 2013 at 6:09 pm
Byronic, I share your outrage on how this was handled. Rape is not an act of lust. It is an act of “power” and “control.” These “promising” athletes probably could have had their pick of any girl – girls who would willingly have consented. Instead they took advantage of a girl who was not legally able to give consent as she was underage … who was unable to give her consent because she was drunk … they urinated on her … they posted photos of their act on social media and bragged about what they did. Wrong on so many levels.
Yet, there was outrage against the victim. At least one girl threatened to kill the rape victim because the boys were found out. These girls need to have more respect for themselves. No matter what they thought of the rape victim, would they want any one to violate them without their consent?
The question you posed … I wish I had an answer for that. We’ll be better than that when we all treat each other as we would like to be treated.
March 22, 2013 at 10:00 am
It actually might be good to not even call it rape anymore – just “physical assault.” Can you imagine how much less sympathy they’d have if it was reported that they’d physically assaulted an unconscious girl over the course of several hours?
March 22, 2013 at 7:42 pm
Excellent point! Then they’d look like the animals they are.
March 19, 2013 at 8:42 pm
You are very optimistic — a characteristic that I applaud! I, being naturally skeptical, wonder if we are, in the aggregate, “better than this”? Sadly, there seems to be much evidence to the contrary.
March 22, 2013 at 9:53 am
As cynical as I can be, I actually do have faith in humanity – in the long term. Short term? Not so much.
March 19, 2013 at 10:24 pm
I don’t get the country’s obsession with seeing athletes as some infallible beings. Rape should not be treated differently just because the rapist can throw a ball better that the next guy.
I sincerely hope that this type of reporting will ruin CNN’s promising career.
March 22, 2013 at 10:01 am
It is weird, isn’t it? Like you want to say, “You do realize they’re not ACTUALLY demi-gods or soldiers, right? They aren’t REALLY our champions. They play a game for money.”
March 20, 2013 at 4:12 am
Reblogged this on Adventures in the Abyss.
March 22, 2013 at 9:53 am
Thanks! Hopefully it’s coherent enough…
March 20, 2013 at 4:38 am
Luckily we live in a civilized country right?
Disgusting.
Really nice post.
March 20, 2013 at 9:13 am
There are no words. What is happening to the world?
March 20, 2013 at 5:14 pm
you’re article has stayed with me and inspired me to write my own piece. i just can’t get over it, i would love your thoughts if you have time, your blog is one of my favourites!
March 20, 2013 at 5:16 pm
oops! here’s the link- Social media, rape culture and victim blaming
http://citystylecountrysmile.com/2013/03/20/steubenville-social-media-we-are-all-victims/
March 22, 2013 at 8:47 am
Thanks for saying so, I will wander over that way shortly!
March 21, 2013 at 5:14 pm
I haven’t read all the comments, so I might be redundant, but my feeling is: what a waste. All the way around. No winners here.
Hopefully this serves as a wake-up call so more parents talk to their children about rape and a new generation grows up understanding that anything short of “yes” should be interpreted as “no.”
Solid post.
March 22, 2013 at 8:47 am
It’s mystifying to me to see an unconscious girl and think anything but “this person needs help.” Hopefully you’re right and people learn to see each other as humans.
March 22, 2013 at 8:11 pm
Appreciated the Rollins piece, thanks for sharing that.
April 7, 2013 at 7:49 am
Saw this and I was equally disgusted. It’s baffling!