UVA and the alleged frat rape - Rolling Stone backpedals

That's my position. They will not be traumatized by this at all, and certainly not to the extent that rape victims are.

The frat will also be fine, just like it has been for years and years following their other rape accusations or convictions.

 

So you - and this is not a "so you" in which I subsequently misrepresent what you're saying, I promise, but when in which I want to summarize it accurately - essentially find what Erdely (and Jackie) did to be a crime against journalism, but basically a victimless crime. Which doesn't mean that it's not a crime nonetheless - I get the feeling that you believe that the tenets of journalism she broke are inherently important. And you don't need a sympthetic victim to illustrate for you their importance.

 

I find what Jackie did to be a combination of Erdely's manipulation and some kind of deep-seated mental health issue. I find what Erdely did to be despicable, and one of the cardinal sins of journalism.

But buried in all of Erdely's sins and irresponsibility is that the accused were never identified. It's unreal to me that the focus could go from a documented nationwide problem of rape to the "victimhood" of seven people we'll never know and who will never face charges of any kind.

We've been over and over the journalistic sins committed here. And, what advocates were worried about has come to fruition from people like Glenn Reynolds - Erdely lied, therefore rape is not a problem. And that is bullshit.

 

Nine people.

 

My three conclusions: The frat suffered some (likely minor) level of damage about which I care very little, the Rolling Stone editors who read the story should be fired and Erdley should never, ever work as a journalist again.

 

I line up with Cran's view. At least none of the frat members were called out by name and photos like the three Duke lax members were.

 

And if our population doubles, it'll be twice as big a problem.

 

Just based on their age, and the fact that they are more likely to be dating than older women, I would expect college aged women to be victims of rape at a higher rate than other women.

But, folks were arguing that your likelihood of becoming a rape victim went up the moment you stepped foot on a college campus.

Does someone really want to continue to make that argument?

 

Using your own data, 60,000 female college students are raped every year. I'll make the argument that is a problem and deserving of our attention. Particularly as long as binge-drinking and roofies are around (and yes, I'm aware they are used by more than just college kids). And particularly because it might encourage more of the 80 percent of victims who don't report rapes to come forward.

 

Hanna Rosin (known to YF as Hannah Rosen) wrote a really long and really good piece on campus rape and the reactions to it.

One thing we were talking about at home is that the definition of rape has changed. Rape was and still is an unknown person attacking a single girl in the park or something. Rape can be two drunk people having sex. It can be two people in a relationship having sex when the other didn't want to.

Someone posted earlier that they and their wife couldn't think of a single campus rape at their school. And we couldn't either. At least of the single woman attacked in the park variety.

But drunk people hooking up? Yes. Boyfriend forcing himself on girlfriend? Yes. Those weren't rapes then, they were regrettable incidents. They were , did you hear so and so broke up. Something happened and she's pretty messed up. She might transfer incidents.

 

Throughout this saga, I've become curious about how rape/sexual assault in college really happens, at least with frequency. It's been surprisingly difficult to find any details. I guess they are probably in documents. But here is a passage from the story of someone who has been quite outspoken about her experience:

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2000/4/27/fifteen-minutes-an-unsilenced-voice-katie/

That’s when he started everything up again, kissing my neck and trying to have sex with me, and the next thing I know is that he’s over by the door telling me thank you very much.

That's how a lot of the stories I find seem to go. "We were on a date. He was pushing for sex. I kept saying no. (Cut to aftermath.)"

 

Explain.