Shameless hypocrisy.

Beautifully stated single man speaks.

It's easy for women to think "I would never make a false allegation of rape and assault' and thus rush to the defense of any woman who has made such accusations. But false allegations *do* happen, and the prison sentences for rape are often quite long, and these are good reasons to suspend judgement until all the evidence is in. And in the case of the Duke LAX team, some of the evidence (lack of a DNA match) seems quite compelling for the defense and raises very reasonable questions about the truth of the accuser's allegations. And yet none of the stories I read on feminist/liberal sites seem to be thinking this way. The attiude seems to be 'well, if they are innocent of rape, they still aren't totally innocent - something smells rotten in Denmark."

This is a dangerous path to tread. The severe consequences of being accused of a violent felony should mitigate the way this case is reported before it goes to trial - the alleged victim is not the only one with rights at this point. And there is a good reason for the media to remember this; being falsely accused of rape is not a small thing. These guys may be priveleged and entitled and obnoxious as all get out...... but this does not mean they will not be immune to the negative fallout of being falsely accused. Most people remember the accusation, not the exoneration; most people tend to believe, in their heart of hearts 'where there's smoke, there's fire' and will remain uneasy in dealing with someone who has been accused -- even someone who has been fully and publicly exonerated. I'll bet one in 100 people couldn't tell you what happened to the guy accused of setting off the bomb in the Atlanta Olympics, or the woman accused of performing Satanic rituals on her day care charges back in the 80s -- and both of these people were proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, to be fully innocent of the crimes they were accused of. Nevertheless, I guarantee you that their lives were ruined, and their reputations have not, nor ever will be, restored to pre-accusation status.

Acusations hang around even the exonerated like a bad stink. The Duke LAX team - even those not at the party - will face a lot of stigma even if fully exonerated. The accusation will haunt them as they try to transfer schools, as they apply to grad school, interview for jobs, date, and marry. Every major corporate employer for the next 5 years will see "Duke LAX" on a resume and pause - that's pretty much a guarantee. So - if the accusations are false, even if they are exonerated these guys are going to suffer plenty. That should not be ignored. This is why our system of due process is so important; this is why our judicial system presumes innocent until guilty. Unfortunately our media makes no such presumption - though it should be ethically obliged to, we live in a free marketplace of ideas, and that means it is up to individuals to properly interpret the information available to them. The fact that most people behave like poodles when it comes to the digestion of news - unquestioning swalloing whatever is fed to them and wagging for more - is ignored in favor of ramping the hyperbole and innuendo to sell more papers and get ever-higher audience ratings.

This story has many implications for modern feminism. I've seen many stories describing the Duke LAX team as little better than rich vermin. But I've seen almost no stories speculating on the character of a stripper - the alleged victim in the story has been for the most part described a working class black mother who is putting herself through college. I am glad to see that we have moved away from a 'blame the victim' mentality when rape allegations are made; nonethless, if the character of the defendants can be scrutinized before all of the evidence is in, then so to can the character of the accuser. Just as I know that when a guys is sexist, obnoxious, loutish and arrogant that doesn't necessarily make him a rapist, so too am I capable of knowing that a woman who strips for a living and maybe engages in for-pay seuxal acts with some of her clients (which is not all uncommon) isn't necessarily a slut or a liar.

So - all this talk of the Duke LAX team getting exonerated as setting a 'dangerous precedent' seems to ignore the very real consequences of the very real possibility that no rape or assault occurred. I am not comfortable with this. As a woman and as a feminist, I see the woman's side, of course- but I can also imagine being the mother or sister or girlfriend of a falsely accused man. Feminsim isn't about protecting women at the expense of men - it's about treating both sexes in a fair and equal manner regardless of the circumstances.

I hope that I never let my feminism blind me to seeing all sides of an issue, and that I do not rush to the defense of a woman simply because she is a woman. Feminism is about removing gender from the equation, so that in all situations - whether interviewing, doing or getting promoted for a job, whether having casual sex with multiple partners, whether gettting a loan to buy a house or run a business, whether fighting for custody or getting/paying child and spouse support - I am treated fairly under the law, judged only on my merits and the *sum* of my actions/character, and not on some stereotype or assumption linked solely to my gender.

Until all the evidence is in and the story unfolds, I'd like to reserve judgement on who is guilty of what, and what in the case constitutes the true dangerous precedent.

... but it is actually much worse than she makes it out to be. This is a woman whose credibility is not only challenged by her being a stripper, she's also been ugilty of crimes for which she spent time in jail.. in particular, a crime against a different one of her former clients.

In case you don't believe me, read the following article, and follow the link to the newscast that is embedded in the article itself -- they actually interview her former lawyer.

http://www.wral.com/news/8513890/detail.html?rss=ral&psp=news

Strangley, the woman's criminal record is mentioned in scant few of the more recent press reports regarding the case, yet somehow the seemingly sarcastic e-mail written by one of the LaCross players in mentioned in a great many.

The same thing happened here on Salon, by the way (aside from my previous post on the matter).