Oops We Did It Again
When I woke up this morning, my husband said, "well, you have your work cut out for you today." "What do you mean?," I replied, thinking through the various tasks I'd scheduled. "Well," he told me, "Mark Sanchez was arrested for the rape of a USC undergraduate last night."
Oh.
No.
Ugh.
Mark Sanchez, our new golden boy, number two on the depth chart yet expected to make a run for starting quarterback against John David Booty, was released from custody after being booked on suspicion of sexual assault.
But what does this have to do with me?
Good question. On the one hand, it's big news since I am a huge football fan and season ticket holder and have myself been enjoying the pre-season buzz about this new phenom. I find myself having conversations about him with other sports fans, usually male, at places like the Parent's Dinner I attended last week. We are all building him up to legendary status before most of us have even seen him throw the ball.
And now another legend begins.
The second reason Mr. Dr. Diana Blaine knew this news would resonate powerfully with me on this cloudy Thursday relates to my position as resident Feminist Theorist on the USC campus. Last Spring, in case you don't know, I wrote an editorial which asked USC men, particularly our leaders, to hold themselves responsible for stopping rape. I'd taken this public position in spite of the backlash I knew it would generate as I felt it was time to call attention to the Elephant in the Living Room at USC which we were all seemingly ignoring. Over my years at the university, I had been privy to many tales told to me by female undergraduates of the myriad ways in which the sexism pervading the campus had affected them negatively, physically, emotionally, psychologically, and I was sick of seeing their access to higher education impeded by male privilege and the accompanying abuses. And I was sick of the deafening silence regarding this reality.
So I said so.
The incident which had broken this camel's back involved a young woman, a freshman, who had brought charges against Trojan footballer Eric Wright. I knew a number of things about the case, which include the fact that women are not generally lying when they expose themselves to public humiliation by making accusations of rape (and I don't care that some men need to pretend that they usually are); I also know particulars about this situation through insider sources which I will never name that helped me to have confidence in speaking out against an injustice that I am quite sure occurred. And while charges were dropped, as I predicted that they would be, the accused was also drummed off the team and out of the school, swept along like a pedophile priest to go cause headaches somewhere else, in this case UNLV.
Kinda makes you wonder if he wasn't in fact guilty, doesn't it?
So here we are again, barely a year later, with yet another accusation against a male Trojan athlete. I haven't any idea what happened, haven't heard from the women's spy network on this one yet and may never, so of course I have no way of knowing Sanchez's guilt or innocence. I do have history to go on, which suggests that smoke indicates fire and that the person who started the fire often walks away unscathed, unlike the victims, who remain deeply scarred forever.
If we keep doing the same things, we will get the same results. This feminist says it's time to change the way we do things, even if that means that we are not the #1 team in the country. After all, football is just a game. Women's lives, on the other hand, are real, and we must stop the misogynist culture of male athletics on college campuses that lets men use females as objects to dominate and then toss on the trash heap when they're through asserting in the most cowardly way possible the hypermasculinity encouraged by institutionalized sports.
Comments
The other night I was at a birthday dinner. One girl brought up the subject, and went over the particulars. "And this isn't the first time," she said, "the last time something like this happened, the football player ended up transferring to another school!"
"Yeah, what a terrible situation. It's awful how when you let people get away with murder they'll usually take the opportunity." I replied.
The girl looked uncomfortable and quickly changed the subject.
I found it hilarious... I guess I'm used to the fact that people like this exist... but actually talking to one of them is another thing!
Posted by: Sarah | May 4, 2006 12:49 PM
Athletes accused by designing women are also often scarred for life. And I differ as to whether women would hold themselves up to public humiliation to make a false accusation. In feminist society it's a badge of courage. And as women really are people too, there are plenty of stupid people, aren't there?
Posted by: David | May 9, 2006 10:54 AM
Do us a favor and stop attending football games. Retard
Posted by: D.Ting | May 9, 2006 06:16 PM
Sad part is most rapes go unreproted, even more so when a guy is raped by a girl like my brother was.
And, no. Once accused of rape the matter of guilt or innocnent doesn't even matter in being scrutinized, goaded, or humiliated, let alone possibily having to register as a sex offender when found guilty and automatically being associated with criminals such as pedophiles..whether or not the "Guilty" sentence was valid or simply Sympathy for the "victim" that may have had ulterior motives
we've seen it in the movies, girl and guy is making out, girl is seeing someone else, parents or friends come in, guy hapens to be on top and she screams "RAPE" instead of being caught fooling around...phhht.
Posted by: Frank | May 12, 2006 02:25 AM
"I knew a number of things about the case, which include the fact that women are not generally lying when they expose themselves to public humiliation by making accusations of rape (and I don't care that some men need to pretend that they usually are);"
For someone with a PhD, you would think someone would have taught you what a logical fallacy was. Saying that most men pretend rape doesn't exist. Straw Man.
Rape exists and it is a terrible thing. I have had close friends who have been the victim of rape. But we as a society value the concept of "Innocent Until Proven Guilty", even if feminists like yourself do not. What would you have, men thrown in jail and their lives ruined because of some anonymous unchallenged testomony?
In the case of Eric Wright, it is completely wrong of you or anyone else to call him a rapist based on some "insider sources". If they were so reliable, why was he not convicted? How would you like to have your name and reputation run through the mud based on some unknown sources? What if someone called you a child molester and had you thrown out of USC on it, based on some "reliable sources" that you could not challenge? I mean, very few people lie about child molestation, so it must be true?
As a USC alumus, I am ashamed you are associated with our university.
Brian Ellenberger
USC, class of '99
Posted by: Brian Ellenberger | May 20, 2006 09:47 AM
Like you said Rush. Feminists are feminists because they are ugly. "Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women access to the mainstream of society." Here we have another tub of blubber who hates men accusing Mark Sanchez of rape before any evidence has been presented.
Doctor Rick.
Posted by: Doctor Rick | May 23, 2006 03:52 PM
order tramadol order tramadol order tramadol
Posted by: BillGates | June 1, 2006 12:20 PM
I like what Brian said above and agree with him.
Posted by: Charlie | June 5, 2006 07:54 PM
Follow your dreams, you can reach your goals. nokia6630
Posted by: lizbeth | July 1, 2006 07:36 AM
As a USC Alumnus I took it upon myself to read the original editorial from the Daily Trojan to see what started all the fuss I've heard recently. It bothered me and I'll explain why. Apologies for length.
"I... learned the term 'cock blocker,' which is what men call other men who try to stop them from raping women. Apparently men don't like to stop other men from raping lest they be called this name. How courageous."
That definition is not accurate. A cock blocker is a man who prevents another man from pursuing a woman. This especially applies to lying, misleading or not giving a guy a fair chance: saying that a guy has an embarassing habit, a disease, a girlfriend, etc., even if he doesn't. It does not apply specifically to rape, and only rapists and their accomplices would disagree with me. If you think there's more than a miniscule percentage of men who will stand around and allow a rape because they don't want to be a called a cock blocker, you're simply mistaken.
A few years ago my neighbor was being attacked. It was a man she knew and invited into her house. I don't know the details of whether she was being hit or raped or both, because I didn't know her well enough to ask, but really it doesn't matter for the point I'm going to make. I heard her obvious distress, despite the late hour and the hall between us. I knocked on her door and yelled that I was calling the police. The guy stopped whatever he was doing, opened the door, and I watched him until the cops came. (Being 6'5" is useful as a deterrent.) Not one single guy I've ever told this to, ever called me a "cock blocker." Every single one said, "good for you," or something to that effect.
Anyone who says that men as a whole are responsible for rapes committed by other individuals, does not seem to me to appreciate fully those who put themselves in danger to stop it. That includes women who feel they are in danger if they press charges. (And what about the countless men who would stop it if they could, but never have an opportunity? And how often are there really other people around? I don't know.) Give people credit for doing the right thing when they can. And if you're going to hold accountable men who stand by, and by all means do so, then also hold accountable women who refuse to report a crime and allow it to continue. Make it very clear the responsibility they have to do the right thing, even if it's really hard, and even if the system usually doesn't work as well as it should. Tell them their roommate, sister or daughter might be the guy's next victim.
Posted by: JT | July 1, 2006 04:03 PM
Hi you have a nice homepage nokia6630
Posted by: cherly | July 26, 2006 10:30 PM
conflict book conflict book conflict book
book author book author book author
notes theme notes theme notes theme
novel notes novel notes novel notes
book themes book themes book themes
novel excerpt novel excerpt novel excerpt
banging by the book banging by the book banging by the book
Posted by: Maksat | October 5, 2006 02:20 AM
Why do you still go to football games?
Posted by: Elliot Offen![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.dianablaine.com/nav-commenters.gif)
|
December 7, 2006 11:19 AM