Uh-oh. After all we've heard about the Duke lacrosse-rape case,
here comes one more unsolicited opinion -- and worse, from a
fuddy-duddy grandmother.
The travesty of justice and exoneration of the innocent themes
have been the prominent focus of every report. Here are some of the
headlines: "Justice at Duke;" "Ex-players cleared in Duke rape
case;" "Nightmare finally ends for accused;" "Charges Dropped in
Duke Lacrosse Case." All but ignored has been a question lurking
behind this sordid mess -- the question of the "party for forty"
about which this grandmother has been wondering: BOYS, WHAT WERE
YOU THINKING?!
To be sure, you were wrongfully accused, wrongfully charged,
wrongfully abandoned by your alma mater, and you wrongfully
suffered. All wrong and belatedly corrected. But it might be wise
to think of how this mess came about, and to recognize that none of
this trouble appeared out of thin air with no help from you. Here
are just two less discussed components of your ordeal:
* First, Your Culture: You live in what
Professor Lionel Tiger calls "the craven crumminess of popular
culture" in which casual sex and risky behavior are supposed to
have no consequences and are seldom condemned. The Washington
Post said only, "Hiring a stripper to perform at a team party
is offensive." Not exactly a strong criticism. So you hired a
stripper about whom you apparently knew little other than that for
money, she would do things that other women would not do. Did that
don't-worry-everybody-does-it-so-don't--be-judgmental atmosphere
blind you to the other side of your behavior? There are times to
use that discredited judgment, and this well might have been one of
them. Consequences do happen.
It is now reported by the Christian Science Monitor
that colleges are looking at themselves. "Concern about the
alcohol-fueled party that provided the backdrop to the case
prompted Duke administrators and faculty to undertake an
introspective examination of campus culture.... The notoriety of
the case forced Duke to the front of academe in this evaluation of
student life and campus culture. But colleges across the U.S. are
also soul-searching and refining policies in the wake of the case,
recognizing that Duke is not the only campus where the confluence
of race, sex, privilege, and booze could spark a scandal." Duke's
answer? "...accountability for perpetrators, more and better
support for victims, and...more intensive prevention programs." We
shall see what that means.
* The second component, This PC World:
Unfortunately for you, Political Correctness is rampant throughout
higher education and throughout the press. The privilege vs. victim
theme was and remains irresistible to these folks. Even now --
after the dismissal of charges -- they can't let go. Said Terry
Moran of ABC News, "These young men will get on with their
privileged lives....They are very differently situated in life
from, say, the young women of the Rutgers University women's
basketball team." Dick Meyer of CBS News spoke of "rooting for the
fall of these privileged white boys playing with strippers."
At the end, two of the vindicated students spoke out. David
Evans said that the players were "just as innocent today as we were
back then. Nothing has changed. The facts don't change." And Reade
Seligman added, "This entire experience has opened my eyes up to a
tragic world of injustice I never knew existed." May it also open
your eyes to the fact that in this world, you are the masters of
your fate now and for the rest of your lives. For good or for ill,
your behavior will have consequences, so think about them. Good
luck.
topics:
Education
