Missing the point

The Duke lacrosse team rape story has all the elements of a juicy news story -- wealth, violence and sex -- but increasingly the element people are focusing on is race. I've recently seen a spate of stories about the conflict between the wealthy, largely white student body of Duke and the poorer, more black population of Durham, N.C. and particularly of North Carolina Central University, where the accuser is a student. I'm stricken by the fact that most commentators instantly fixate on the racial difference instead of the socio-economic difference.\nI know that race has always been a major dividing line in America and that it continues to be one. However, in this case I think focusing on race causes us to miss a far more pernicious division: socio-economic. The story, to me, is not primarily about a black woman being allegedly raped by three white men, but a poor woman, struggling to make ends meet being allegedly raped by three wealthy, privileged young men. It wasn't racism that motivated these young men; had the stripper been a poor white woman, the outcome would likely have been the same. They were motivated by a sense of socio-economic superiority which is potentially far more dangerous. \nIt's still unclear exactly what happened, but at the very least the Duke lacrosse team behaved boorishly and inappropriately, and quite likely they did far worse. But I don't think they were motivated by race. They did it because she was female, attractive and vulnerable. And because they thought they could get away with it.\nAs young, wealthy men they were used to getting whatever they wanted. Being scholarship athletes in a prominent sport only exacerbated that feeling. Most importantly, being privileged, they were convinced they could get away with anything. The combination of wealth, privilege and a sense of immunity all too often leads to bad behavior.\nThe flip side is that economic hardship all too often forces people to take dangerous work that leaves them vulnerable. It's as true for a young woman who strips to get through college as it is for a young man who chooses mining because it's all that's available. The circumstances of one's birth, family, education and yes, race, all affect the available choices. Those who start at the bottom often have to do things they would rather not do to get ahead.\nIn downplaying the racial factor, I, in no way, intend to downplay the outrage over this case. The outrage is deserved, but not because it shows the continuing racism of America. I recognize that there are racial problems in Durham and in America, but it's clear to me that there is an equally large problem facing us: the existence of two distinct communities -- one rich and one poor -- living side by side that not only don't communicate, but don't see each other as belonging to the same society. That gap is only growing, and that's why the Duke rape case touches a nerve, and should be a call to action.