Duke rape case - did anyone watch 60 Minutes?

R

red_mct

Cathlete
Just curious if anyone watched this and if it swayed your view about what may or may not have happened. I started to watch and then turned it off. I just felt sick about the forum they were being given. In general I think women who are raped are often crucified by the "justice" system which paints them as dirty girls deserving what they get.

My SO and I were talking about this and I found it interesting that he (a former athlete) had immediately jumped to the conclusion that they were falsely accused. I admit that while I don't feel like I can make a conclusive judgment about what might have happened, I was and am more sympathetic to the accuser (even though she is a stripper and that might put her in more questionable situations). But like I said, I tend to think that all women short of the virgin mother are re-victimized by the system, and by society, which continues to stygmatize s*x crimes. Then I wonder if that colors my judgment, too.

Anyway, curious about what you all think.

Marie
 
Ok, 51 people have looked at this message and not one person has an opinion on this?? Did I miss a big controversy on the topic or something?
 
I want to reply...but I did not see the 60 minutes thing. I can only say that the media can be used as a devastating or wonderful tool however they choose to spin it. I work at a law firm and we have a similar case like this. While we represent the defendant, it is amazing how he has been villified in the local media without even going to trial. I guess all I can say is listen to ALL the facts. I definitely was "against" our own client based upon the media that was surrounding it prior to him becomeing our client and then I realized maybe he wasn't "guilty" after all.

I agree though that women are WITHOUT a doubt revictimized in situations like this. And I believe that this woman is brave for even pressing charges seeing as what her profession is and how quickly that was going to be the main thing said about her...
Jules!!!!
 
Okay...I guess I'll give my two cents here. As a woman it is always my gut reaction to believe any woman who has been put through such a horrible ordeal. And I agree that women are very certainly revictimized in these situations. However, a couple of years ago(I believe it was during the Kobe Bryant case) Cosmo(I know, not the most reliable source) did an article on just how many women each year DO lie about rape/sexual assault. Don't get me wrong I firmly believe that the vast majority of women reporting these crimes are telling the truth and no one should ever just assume based on circumstantial evidence, ie. the victim's job, what she was wearing, sexual history, etc., that a woman is lying. I'm just pointing out that, unfortunately, people do, on occasion, "cry wolf" for various reasons. Which, if you ask me, is despicable. I didn't see the 60 minutes segment--only saw the promo during football. Given the little I know about the case I would sat my initial reaction is still to believe the victim. She is certainly going through a lot in this case.

JMHO

Jennifer
 
Hi Marie, I didn't see the 60 min segment. My intial reaction to the whole story was the rich guys got caught. Maybe, maybe not. I do agree that it is unfortunate for both sides that the whole things gets tried by the media. The Duke guys were acting pretty slimey, IMHO, anyway, with the party and the strippers, even if they didn't rape her. If they were home and in bed (alone) instead of out partying, there wouldn't be any accusations now, would there.
 
If you continued to watch the segment, you would have seen the proof that they did not and could not have raped her. None of the DNA matched up and 2 of the guys have proof they were not there are the time. The girl's story changes ever time they talk to her. The other stripper with her was there the whole time and has a totaly opposite story than she does. Remember Tawanna Brawley? Many women cry rape in it is not so.. but also many women are raped and the men who are guilty get off. Americas wonderful justice system at work. Also the girl was on drugs and booze... she could have been on a trip to the moon and not have known. Deperate cry for help is what i think happened.
 
My husband and I watched it. I would have a tendency to go with the woman's point of view, but didn't in this case. If what was presented by 60 Minutes is accurate, then the 3 were railroaded by the District Attorney who is seeking re-election. He pandered to the Africian American community in hopes of winning their trust and votes. The evidence seems pretty clear that they are not guilty, DNA, polygraphs, first person accounts, etc. I found it pretty scary as a mother and a person in this country that you can have the finger pointed at you very easily. Granted, they will get their day in court, but meanwhile their lives have been seriously damaged.

The boys/men made some unfortunate choices by having strippers at their home for their party as well as doing alot of drinking. When you put yourself in negative circumstances, s**t can happen.
 
Just for the record:

the fact that a woman chooses to be or is forced to be a stripper for her livelihood does not necessarily mean that she is promiscuous and more likely to take drugs anbd engage in risky behaviours than anyone here on these boards. The "even though she is a stripper" idea is so contagious and leads to the failure to convict rapists in cases where the woman's attire or sexual/bodily presentation is read as her "screaming for it".

This makes me more angry than I can say, in all cases of rape accusations, not particularly this one. Where do we women get off making the same assumptions about other women? It is possible to be a high powered attorney and more sexually promiscuous than any stripper in the land.

Clare
 
I think the media does everyone a disservice--the accuser, the accused, the justice system itself and the general public--by publicizing every little tidbit of information they can eke out of anyone even remotely involved in the case. I mean, here we are discussing it on a public forum with some of us passing judgment when it is really not fair for anyone at this point to judge. Yes, the students may have been wrongfully accused, and that would be tragic. Yes, the accuser may have been raped, and that would definitely be tragic. But WE just don't know. Everyone deserves his day in court on this one, and it appears that all will get it. The jurors will have the benefit of ALL the evidence and testimony, which, hopefully, will tell the true tale. They won't be making a decision based on a Sixty Minutes segment or weeks of watching CNN and FOX.

Either way, I don't think anyone wins here, though. Guilty or innocent, the accused will carry this with them for the rest of their lives. B/c even if the verdict is not guilty, there will always be that little bit of doubt in the minds of many that maybe they just had really good attorneys who got them off. And truth or fiction, the accused's story will be with her forever. If it really happened, she will have to live with that and if it didn't, well, that just makes it more difficult for true victims to come forward.

The media just makes things worse by trying the case (and swaying public opinion) before the parties walk into a courtroom. Just my .02.

MissL
 
Those boys futures should be ruined. The team leadership should be expelled from school.

I don't know what is wrong with colleges that put up with the abuses of the sports and frat organizations.

Does a team party need strippers, drinking (underage drinking as well)? How many abuses are done at the initiations and hazings?

These kids going to these prestigious universities will eventually become leaders in communities and companies. Is it too much to expect them to behave or be held accountable for their behavior?


dave
 
>Those boys futures should be ruined. The team leadership
>should be expelled from school.
>
>I don't know what is wrong with colleges that put up with the
>abuses of the sports and frat organizations.
>
>Does a team party need strippers, drinking (underage drinking
>as well)? How many abuses are done at the initiations and
>hazings?
>
>These kids going to these prestigious universities will
>eventually become leaders in communities and companies. Is it
>too much to expect them to behave or be held accountable for
>their behavior?
>
>
>dave
>
You believe that these kids' futures should be ruined because they did some underage drinking and had some strippers over at a party??? Pretty harsh don't you think? I'm not condoning their behavior but your statement is ridiculous. People in glass houses.......
Based on all that I have read on this case, what we have here is a case of a DA up for re-election who was lookng for votes. I think that's pretty clear. And it seems the stripper is trying to cash in as well.
 
I don't think anyone here said that just because this woman is a stripper that she "deserved" to be raped, or she "asked" to be raped. Maybe I'm idealistic but I think we kind of realize that now-a-days that when a woman says no, she means no. Whether she's a doctor or a stripper. For me the woman's profession never entered my mind. I did think at first, "Oh boy, a bunch of drunk rich boys thinking they can get away with this..." Now, I don't know. MissL - I agree that the media sensation on this case has influenced opinions and that makes for a tough trial. BUT, if the media time to accuse these kids is going to be used - in boy was it ever, then the media time to HEAR these kids deserves to be used too. If they raped the girl, then throw them in the deepest darkest dungeon and throw away the key. But if she is lying (and as much as we hate to admit it - we women do lie occasionally - even about things like this) then she ruined the lives and careers of these boys who did nothing more than use a bit of bad judgement. But if it does come down to that, what will happen to her? I don't know what the truth is, nor do I know what the answer is, but I agree with MissL that at this point, the reality could go either way and neither way is good. I don't like the idea that anyone can ruin anyone else's life (rape, accusations, child abuse...) and get away with it.
 
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