UVA and the alleged frat rape - Rolling Stone backpedals

Re: Rolling Stone on rape at UVA

There's not a person on the planet who believes UVA is the only university with a rape problem.

We had a long discussion here, in fact, about how it's pretty evident that a lot of colleges have a rape problem, meaning A) Too many rapes are occurring, B) Too few rapists are punished, C) Too few victims are coming forward, and D) Adjudication of rape accusations is woefully mishandled.

A population of horny, drunken 18- to 23-year-olds is the ideal place for a rape problem to occur, both from a would-be-rapist-and-victim standpoint and a reasonable-ability-to-give-consent standpoint.

 

Re: Rolling Stone on rape at UVA

This really the nut of the whole thing. College rape.

 

Re: Rolling Stone on rape at UVA

Yup.

http://www.richardbradley.net/shotsinthedark/2014/12/03/rolling-stone-hedges-its-bets/

 

Re: Rolling Stone on rape at UVA

I know this is the least of the issues, but there's a lot of chatter out there now that there's no record anybody knows about of the "Rugby Road" lyrics that Erdely included in the story.

 

Re: Rolling Stone on rape at UVA

That's one of the comments in story link DD posted.

 

Re: Rolling Stone on rape at UVA

I went and looked it up after reading the story and came to a Geocities-looking website with all the "unofficial" verses. If it's a plant to support the story, it's a remarkably well-executed one.

For the record, I never heard anyone sing ANY of the Rugby Road verses when I was in school. I think it was popular when my dad was there in the late 60s, but I imagine very few modern-era UVA students, particularly of the GDI variety, even know it exists.

EDIT: Here's the page.

http://reocities.com/RodeoDrive/2693/drink.html

 

Re: Rolling Stone on rape at UVA

Erin Keane of Salon.com seems A-OK with Erdely's reporting.

http://www.salon.com/2014/12/03/rolling_stones_uva_rape_story_backlash_when_narratives_are_so_compelling_that_we_dont_notice_unbalanced_reporting/

Every ethical reporter believes he or she is showing the facts in a clear landscape, unshadowed by discarded sources, ignored leads or deliberately softened edges. But a “just the facts” approach to an in-depth investigation rarely breaks through the noise to have a real impact. ... f Erdely’s telling of Jackie’s experience at UVA, even without the pursuit of the perspective of her alleged rapists, rings true enough to launch a thorough investigation by Charlottesville police, a second chapter — whatever new facts it ends up revealing — will come.

 

Re: Rolling Stone on rape at UVA

Does it launch an investigation? YES!

Is it true? Unclear! (And we'll probably concede not *all* of it's true.)

Journalism!

 

Re: Rolling Stone on rape at UVA

I'm losing my shit all over again about every 20 minutes as this develops and people write more and more outrageous shit in response.

 

Re: Rolling Stone on rape at UVA

I'm checking Jezebel to see who wins the latest label of Idiot for daring to question.

 

Re: Rolling Stone on rape at UVA

It's such a straw man, and I've seen some form of it several times here. Something along the lines of: "Once again, every woman who alleges rape must be lying!"

No, not every woman. Hardly any, in the grand scheme of things. This one? Quite possibly.

 

Re: Rolling Stone on rape at UVA

"Darren Wilson is a racist" on this board intermittently equals "All police officers are racist," "All white people are racist," and "All black people are innocent cherubs."

In this case, though, I'd bet my life that Jackie went through some sort of trauma, whether it be exactly what was in the story or not. If we're going to go all SJ on someone, it should be the reporter and the magazine.