LETTER: Domestic abuse is not an 'anger management' problem
Student and domestic violence survivor Miriam Woods explains how IU and an IDS column mis-attribute anger management to abusive behavior
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Student and domestic violence survivor Miriam Woods explains how IU and an IDS column mis-attribute anger management to abusive behavior
I would like to bring to the attention of the IDS the fact that harassment of disabled students occurs regularly at IU-Bloomington.
I am glad you chose to publish an ?article on the Bloomington Planned Parenthood. Let me explain why.
Ferguson, Missouri is — pardon the unintended pun – a moving target. Events keep taking erratic directions, superseding comment as fast as it’s written. So I’ll open with context as of this writing: After a week of combat in the streets, governor Jay Nixon has ordered Missouri’s National Guard out to, as his office says in a statement, “help restore peace and order and to protect the citizens of Ferguson.”
Over the past week, eyes around the world have been on Fergson, Missouri. There have been protests and candle light vigils every night since Aug. 9. Some of the protests have turned violent with police firing teargas and rubber bullets at both protesters and reporters, and looting by some of the protesters. The protests and vigils were sparked after police killed an unarmed teenager shortly after noon on Saturday, Aug. 9 as the teen was walking away from the police with his hands in the air pleading, “Don’t shoot, I’m not armed.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I was extremely disappointed and angered upon reading the column “Opera is a white man’s game.”While it is hard to deny that opera is still viewed today as an elitist art form, opera companies and educational institutions around the world are making efforts to make opera more accessible and to broaden audiences.Opera companies are encouraging audience members to “come as you are” in jeans and a T-shirt, offering educational discussions before the performances to make the stories more accessible, and offering reduced prices for students in order to invite a younger audience to participate in the opera culture.In addition, professional opera companies and universities have outreach programs to bring shortened versions of operas into schools.Even IU has a program called Roundabout Opera for Kids in which students and faculty members travel to local schools bringing short operas and relatable characters to schoolchildren.I highly doubt that all of these schoolchildren are white, and I know for a fact that not all of the performers are white. Aside from this program, the IU Opera and Ballet Theater offers reduced prices for students. That’s not to mention opening night tickets are general admission, meaning a student can pay $12 to sit anywhere in the theater.I would hardly call this expensive for a live performance. Even the price of movie tickets these days is upward of $10.If a $12 orchestra ticket seems too expensive, the viewer can simply go to the Jacobs School of Music website and livestream the performance for free. If this isn’t making opera more accessible, I do not know what is.I was lucky enough to sing in the chorus of “La Traviata,” the production Sam Ostrowski attended and seemed so turned off by, written by a “famous dead white man.” Maybe if he had paid more attention to the opera, he would have realized the entire performance was a commentary on the twisted lives of the courtesans of the time.These white women were viewed only as objects of beauty by their white male counterparts and were left to whither away alone when their beauty could no longer serve the other white people.The over-the-top production was a theatrical means to illustrate the extremes of the opulent lifestyle of the white man.I use the terms “white women” and “white men” in the style of Ostrowski, though I doubt he noticed that the cast consisted of white singers, black singers, Latin American singers and Asian singers.If he had looked to the orchestra, he would have noticed the same. Addressing P.Q. Phan’s opera, “The Tale of Lady Thi Kinh,” was also a failed effort on Ostrowski’s part.While he did recognize that IU is situated in the Midwest and that it is impossible to find enough capable Asian singers to double cast an opera, his comments suggested the predominantly white cast took away from experiencing the culturally diverse story.If race and class systems are such problems in opera, Ostrowski should have been able to look past the races of the performers and enjoy the classic Vietnamese story.The problem in this case is not the “opera culture” Ostrowski describes. It is his narrow-minded view that if the race of the performers doesn’t match the story, it becomes less valuable as a piece of art. What distresses me most is that Ostrowski is a theater major who lives with several students who have either sung, or stage managed an IU Opera Theater production.He should be a proponent of the arts instead of detracting from them.I am not saying Ostrowski is not entitled to an opinion.Rather, I hoped that someone so close to the arts would make a more constructive, well-researched argument.While his article certainly sparked a discussion about opera’s place in our modern society, his column would have better served the arts if he had addressed this need for change and how the change is already being put into action through the means listed above.Natalie Weinberg?
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I am a graduate student living off campus, and my wife works on campus.We have had mold issues with our rental unit since November, and we’ve contacted our local city councilman.We have experienced bullying from our landlord. And we’ve had enough.I know this is the case for many students living off campus.We have very little power, as the landlords know we are too busy with school to stand up for ourselves.And if we do, we are likely to move on soon after we graduate.The question here is what about those who stay or those who are here long term and are willing to stand up for themselves?Last Friday we received a “notice to quit” from our landlords, which basically means they don’t want to deal with us.So they want to kick us out, but they also want to keep collecting our rent.For obvious reasons, being a graduate student and having to make payments on my and my wife’s student loans while signing a lease elsewhere would mean we would have two monthly rental payments.This, for us, is basically impossible.We contacted our landlord and tried to ask for a release of liability letting us move on with our lives and presumably our health.But the landlord said no and hung up on me. I thought maybe we were disconnected, so I called her back.Yet she said it was intentional, and if we were not moved out on Friday for the joint inspection, she would have us forcibly removed from the premise by the police for trespassing.This is not within her rights because we have a valid lease, and she would need a court-ordered eviction.With the summer coming soon and students signing leases for next semester, it’s important to know what they could potentially be getting into.Through this process I’ve learned a lot about our rights as renters and student. And they are few. Trevis Matheus
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sometimes in journalism, just as in politics, it’s easiest to go for the lowest-hanging fruit. And a few days ago, for Sam Ostrowski, that fruit was the arts — specifically, opera. In “Opera is a white man’s game,” Ostrowski belabors the fact that opera is written by, performed for and only about white people. Ostrowski couldn’t be bothered by pesky things like facts and research. But that doesn’t matter to him. He has only his pre-conceived notions about rich white people going to the opera — that elitist, snobby genre — and keeps classical music right in its place as the easy target. He starts from a basic observation (he’s been to five operas here), and then generalizes the entirety of the art form as only about upper-middle class white people and only for upper-middle class white people. There is a lot of truth in his initial premise. The majority of the standard repertoire was written in the Western European tradition by Italian, French and German composers. But did he even try to discover the brilliant masterpieces that weren’t? Last summer, Opera Theatre of St. Louis premiered “Terence Blanchard’s Champion,” dealing with race and sexuality in the story of Emile Griffith. Last season, Chicago Opera Theater produced Duke Ellington’s “Queenie Pie.” Next season, Chicago Lyric Opera is producing “El Pasado Nunca Se Termina,” a world premiere by José Martinez. Last year, San Diego Opera premiered the first ever Mariachi opera, also by José Martinez, “Cruzar la Cara de la Luna.” There’s also Scott Joplin’s “Treemonisha,” William Grant’s “Still’s Troubled Island,” Leslie Burr’s “Malcolm X,” “Vanqui,” and Anthony Davis’s “Amistad,” just to name a few. With about 10 seconds of research, Ostrowski could also have discovered dozens of operas in the standard repertoire about race and culture that were actually written by “dead white men” (as Ostrowski calls them, as if being both dead and white discredits everything they accomplished). Verdi and Rossini both wrote operas on Shakespeare’s “Othello,” dealing with aspects of race. Gershwin wrote “Porgy and Bess,” dealing with issues of race and poverty. Puccini wrote “Madama Butterfly,” observing collisions of race and culture in turn of the century Japan. Verdi’s “Aida” is a story set in ancient Egypt dealing with aspects of race in a story of love and loyalty. When IU Opera Theater presented a Vietnamese opera by composition faculty member P.Q. Phan, “The Tale of Lady Thi Kinh,” Ostrowski was still not satisfied, complaining that everybody in the cast was white, moaning that “We realized once the production was set into motion that we’re at IU, in the Midwest.” So Ostrowski’s problem with the entirety of the operatic art form is that he’s seeing opera in Bloomington, where the city is 87 percent white and the University is 76 percent white. Yet, if Ostrowski had done his research, he would discover that 65 percent of the principal artists in “The Tale of Lady Thi Kinh” were American students of Caucasian descent. Sounds to me like IU Opera Theater and the Jacobs School of Music does better to attract and retain people of other races, ethnicities and cultures than IU does as a whole. But, that doesn’t fit into Ostrowski’s idea of opera as a rich white people activity. He might like to think that opera is just for rich people. But unbeknownst to most, you can get opera tickets here for as little as $10, and the most expensive student ticket is just $27. By contrast, the resold IU basketball tickets on OneStart range from $25 to $150, and the Little 500 tickets range from $35 to $45. A handful of drinks at any of the downtown bars would set you back at least $10 to $15. If his idea of getting “bougie every once in a while” is going to be one of the cheapest forms of entertainment in Bloomington, I think he’s a little misinformed. He criticizes IU Opera Theater for needing to sell tickets and doing classic operas, but if next season had Joplin’s “Treemonisha” or Blanchard’s “Champion” on the lineup, my hope is that he would be there.If Ostrowski’s column were merely about perpetuating the stereotypes of opera as a snobby, elitist art form, only for rich white people, then Ostrowski has discovered absolutely nothing about the changing face of the opera world, the actual prices of the opera tickets here or the meaning of opera as a human emotional experience for all ages, races, religions and sexualities. If, however, he wants to challenge the Bloomington arts community into wanting and attending more interesting, rarely done operas on the Bloomington stage — those that represent a diverse multiculturalism and are relevant to a modern audience — then he deserves the classical music world’s respect and applause, and I sincerely hope he succeeds. Jeremy JohnsonExecutive Director, New Voices Opera
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>About 80 percent of the substantiated acts of child abuse and neglect in Indiana are committed by parents or family members.Perpetrators constantly cite lack of parenting skills and support as the primary reason for their abusive behaviors.Yet, we continue to ignore the overwhelming need to better prepare parents and caregivers. We must make policy and systemic changes that value children and strengthen families — we cannot wait for someone else to do it.If we work together to change the way society values and supports the well-being of children and families, and if we can change the cultural attitude to ensure that healthy, safe and nurturing experiences are supported by the actions of every individual and every community, then “preventing child abuse” no longer describes simply the “cause” we each support, but rather, it begins to describe the “effect” of all we do together.The observance of Child Abuse Prevention Month in April reminds us all of our collective responsibility to make positive choices that will affect the safety and well-being of our children.Beyond the choices we make every day to assure our own children and the children we know receive nurturing, loving experiences every day, we can make choices that will affect change at the governmental and community level on the systems that support healthy community and family development.Child abuse and neglect robs so many of our society’s children of their childhood and their sense of security and well-being.And while no one can do everything, everyone can do something. And together, we can do anything.Together, we can advocate for policies and programs that support healthy families and children.Together, we can live in a prosperous society that understands and genuinely values the well-being of children.Together, we can prevent child abuse.It is, however, up to each of us — not someone else — to make a difference in the life of a child.We must hold policymakers, elected officials and ourselves accountable for being informed, being involved and being dedicated to preventing child abuse before any pain is inflicted on another child.And while April is recognized nationally as Child Abuse Prevention Month, every day should be about preventing child abuse.Preventing child abuse is possible if, collectively and individually, we make the right choices and changes for our children — Indiana’s future.Jeffery AllenPresident, NET — Nurture*Engage*Transform, a Monroe County Chartered Council of Prevent Child Abuse Indiana
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>You may have heard news about IU’s strategic plan for the next five years. You may have read that it’s being headed by Provost Lauren Robel, and “developed by 167 faculty members and staff serving on 11 committees,” according to Steve Hinnefeld on the University website.You may also think that the plan expresses the common vision of the campus community for academic excellence, and that it’s now the task of the Provost and the rest of the University administration to devote themselves to making this vision real. But if you also think that means the principles and processes of faculty governance are alive and well at IU, you’ve been misinformed. The vehicle for faculty governance at IU is the Bloomington Faculty Council. Under the Constitutions of the University and Bloomington Faculties, the Faculty Council has legislative authority to determine the academic mission of the campus and must be consulted about campus facilities, budgets, athletics and anything else affecting the academic mission of the University.To say the least, that authority has been undermined and appropriated by the University’s administration in recent years.Many of the IU faculty are concerned with the erosion of faculty participation in University governance. Faculty at IU and nationwide are experiencing a loss of authority in areas where we traditionally had a voice: the determination of educational goals; the allocation of resources for facilities, research and tuition; and the initiation of recommendations for academic reorganization and improvement.In 2010 President Michael McRobbie called for revitalizing “shared governance” at IU. But what could those words mean when at the same time, he asserted that “at broader organizational levels ... universities must often respond to important external constituencies with a rapidity and unity of voice that is more compatible with corporate and governmental organizations than with universities.” As if corporations and governmental organizations are the best bodies at realizing the common visions of communities.Some of us are so concerned about the erosion of faculty governance that we’re standing as a slate in the BFC elections that are currently open. We have a loose set of aims on which we agree: faculty definition of research, teaching and service standards; substantive consultation with faculty on decisions about critical institutional matters (such as graduate programs and support, department mergers, committee appointments, long-range planning and privatization of services); a real and ongoing commitment to attract and retain African-American, Latino and other underrepresented minority faculty; consultation with faculty on investments in pedagogical and curricular technology with the aim of furthering excellence in teaching; fair labor practices for all IU employees including non-tenure track instructors and all staff; and meaningful consultation with faculty about expenditures on and the distribution of profits from athletics.You can’t expect a bunch of faculty to agree about much, but the main goal on which we concur is the renewal of an intellectually rich culture of governance.This culture is above all one of open, public, collaborative and democratic reasoning. It’s the process through which scholarship develops and progresses, leading to innovation and shared ideas.If a proposal for reorganizing the academic structure, or changing pedagogic practice, or connecting between the University and the community is a good idea, it will pass this test of public scrutiny, win broad support and make common sense.That’s what the BFC is for, and that’s what we aim to have the BFC do again.Jon Simons is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Culture at Indiana University
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Though Claire McElwain’s claims to “understand” the reason for school dress codes and what problems might come from them, clearly she doesn’t.She completely took one public middle school’s dress code change out of context. The change is that wearing leggings, yoga pants, and skinny jeans will be banned on campus during school hours because they are a distraction to young male classmates.McElwain goes on to basically say that the ban is sexist since males in middle school aren’t penalized for wearing their pants sagged to their knees. That is completely untrue, uninformed writing.Being that I am a female who attended a public middle school and am now a freshman in college, I completely understand the reason for this change in the dress code. At that age, bodies are changing into their more adult shapes, and boys and girls are discovering their sexuality.When I was in eighth grade, the dress code was basic: no midriff, no thigh, no feet, and no butt for boys and girls. Yet somehow girls found ways to still flaunt their newly sexually pleasing bodies. I am absolutely guilty of wearing tight low-cut tops with push-up bras and tight low-cut jeans. It was my way of accepting myself and getting approval from my male friends.And the boys were and are required to wear their bottoms with a belt around their waists. I reflect on how ridiculous and immature that was often, and now still dress how I want to, but with class and respect.Wearing leggings and yoga pants to school is unnecessary and to boys at that age, distracting. It isn’t girls’ faults that we have beautiful bodies, but it is our responsibility to dress appropriately. The only thing I disagree with in the ban is skinny jeans, because there isn’t anything distracting about them, and they’ve been around for decades.But to quote McElwain, “Banning any article of clothing altogether is eventually going to leave females with nothing to wear” is the exact opposite of what school administrations are doing. They’re enforcing that all students wear more clothes than what is being accepted now.Taylor Cole
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Last week I got dressed to go to class and threw on a pair of leggings, to which my boyfriend said, “Leggings are not pants.”I started to wonder why this opinion is prevalent in a society where women are free to wear whatever they want. Leggings cover my whole lower half, so why do people insist that they are not pants and should not be worn as such?The answer I got back was that leggings are too tight and show off too much of a woman’s body. Leggings show no more skin or curves than tight skinny jeans, tight cotton skirts or daisy duke shorts. Yet these are “acceptable” for women to wear.We need to take a step back and realize that by shaming women for wearing leggings, we are regulating how she can present herself in public. Are people really offended by a woman showing off her curves? In the words of YouTube star Laci Green, “everyone has a butt.”We don’t go around shaming people for wearing tight shirts, so we shouldn’t go around shaming them for tight pants.But, the most important argument for leggings is that Audrey Hepburn wore them. No one would dare call her a slut, so stop judging the girl sitting next to you in class for her fashion choices. Jessica Albright
Letters to the editor
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Columnist Matt Straw recently wrote an article in support of former Green Jobs “czar” Van Jones. Straw mentioned that the main reason why some in the media pressured Van Jones to resign: He called Republicans “assholes.” But that was only one of many controversial comments Van Jones has made. He once said companies intentionally divert toxic waste into minority neighborhoods’ water supplies, with no proof. He also made a speech about giving wealth back to Native Americans. The petition he signed about the Sept. 11 attacks was for the 9/11 Truth organization that claims President Bush intentionally caused 9/11 to start the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, again with no proof. All of these actions showed that Van Jones was a far-left activist. While this country is based on free speech and he can say whatever he wants, the American people don’t want that kind of person being in charge of creating green jobs. The question that should be asked is why Obama appointed this far-left radical to an important government position. When people voted for Obama, they voted for someone who is level-headed, works on both sides of the aisle, and associates himself with like people. Van Jones has shown in his own words he is a far-left radical who is out of touch with average Americans. That is why he was pressured to resign.Jordan WoodIU junior
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I have been fan of all Hoosier sports for four years now. I am a senior and have attended nearly every football and basketball game, and I can honestly say I love this University. I do have one big concern regarding football. Hoosier football fans are few and far between, yet everybody seems to wake up still hung over and ready to “tailgate.” I can’t tell you how many times I have heard in class, on the bus and walking down Kirkwood Avenue that people can’t wait to tailgate.But wait! Tailgate? Do they not realize that the whole reason to “tailgate” is to get pumped up and ready for the football game? I realize tailgating is fun, and I enjoy it myself, but when kids just set out to tailgate and not support their own school’s team, it is a disgrace. Not just a disgrace to themselves, but to the team, the athletics department, your staff, as well as the University.I believe that more can be done to instill in bandwagon fans that without them coming to the games, the team will always be sub-par. I realize the team has struggled for nearly all 125 years of its existence, but why not change that? Imagine going to an Ohio State game and having only 30,000 fans.The bottom line is that it is sad that we cannot fill one of the smallest stadiums in the Big Ten. We have the best fans and students in the conference, but for some reason they do not show during football season.Just put yourself in the players’ shoes for one moment, looking up into the crowd and seeing the stadium half-full, when every single road game you play is full of true fans screaming and rooting for the home team. It has to be degrading to the team and affect their performance, regardless of what the critics say. Overall, I believe IU has a legitimate opportunity to become an elite team – not only in the Big Ten, but also the nation. It will take time, but I seriously believe it starts with the fans. We need to pack the stadium to get Hoosier football’s engine revving and ready to head to the top! No more cheesy signs trying to pack the stadium; let’s get the student body excited and ready to cheer on the team regardless of results, because no matter what, we all attend IU and should support our team to the fullest. It starts with having the Hoosier heart!Tyler SchutzIU senior
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I’m loving IU, but this place is a far cry from Nappanee, Ind. We thought it was fairly radical when students at my high school were actually supporting Barack Obama, and even crazier when our Republican incumbent had a tight race on his hands to keep his seat in the House. The comfortable ideological spectrum back home is about the size of my pinky.So suffice it to say that IU is quite the change of pace. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a very good thing. In fact, it’s one of the reasons I chose IU.As a moderate, I used to get excited back home when someone tried to debate with me on the merits of the stimulus package or the war in Iraq, and it would usually turn out that we really didn’t disagree on too much in the end. That’s not the case here.Talk all you want about the fairly small scope of political ideology in America, but it’s certainly bigger here than anywhere else I’ve been. I got into a discussion with a true socialist the other day. He probably knew more about the system than I know about capitalism and the American system, and he presented his points extremely well. I still cringe at the thought, but just the fact that the discussion took place was incredible to me. This is what I love about the university system. I could’ve gone to any number of small, liberal arts colleges where I’m sure my ideas would have been challenged, but I’m not so sure my perceptions would have been changed as they have been here. Even though my socialist friend couldn’t convince me he was right, he did convince me that he knew what he was talking about. That’s the beauty of this place; not only can you find a group of like-minded people to fit in with no matter what your interests are, but you can talk to people on the complete opposite end as you – and learn so much more about the world in the process. Jordan WeyenbergIU freshman
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It was nice to be reminded of how important Kelley students are while watching one of the wealthiest and most influential Americans on Friday. I’m sure T. Boone Pickens understood that 50 percent of his audience was leaving before the presentation was finished because we had to run home and nurse our hangovers from playing as hard as we work. Students were sleeping, playing BrickBreaker on their BlackBerries (which we need because we are important), and diving into Tucker Max’s epic “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell.” Also, I didn’t think it was ridiculous when I heard a girl ask a recruiter at the consulting career fair what consultants “even do?” How could she have done any research on consulting? She was way too busy complaining to her College-of-Arts-and-Sciences friends how hard I-Core is!I wish there was no one to blame for our arrogance and ridiculousness, but the Kelley faculty only reinforces our bloated sense of self. All I hear from professors is how Kelley students are the top business students in the country, and we just eat it up.I’m not saying Kelley isn’t a good school, but the widespread sense of entitlement and lack of couth hurts our reputation with recruiters and makes us look like brats. I’ve never been more embarrassed to be a business student than on Friday. If you think you are too important to listen to one of America’s most influential leaders speak about one of today’s most important issues, stay home. Leave Kelley’s reputation in the hands of those who have tact. It’s a shame that most Kelley students won’t see this because they will be pretending to read the Wall Street Journal.Rob ConnersIU junior and Kelley School of Business student
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On Friday President Obama announced that his administration would be imposing 35 percent tariffs on imported Chinese tires.Both the New York Times and China’s Xinhua News agency presented this development in remarkably similar ways, noting that Obama was bending to pressure from the Steelworkers Union and that the measure would hurt the United States just as much as China. For its part, Xinhua was more colorful, using the aphorism, “sacrifice 800 to kill a thousand enemies.”Far from being a lose-lose situation, this move by the administration actually benefits both Americans and Chinese. The Chinese government has expressed sincere concern in recent months that the United States not default on its almost $2 trillion debt to Beijing (or use inflation to whittle away its real value). While Xinhua faithfully reported that the tariff could eliminate as much as a billion dollars’ worth of exports to the United States, unmentioned was the fact that this also helps reduce the U.S. need to borrow from China, making it easier for future Americans to pay off the debt they already owe. The advocates of positive, mutually beneficial U.S.-China relations should welcome the Obama administration’s move and view it as a part of a broader effort to stabilize U.S.-Chinese economic relations. The Bush administration largely refrained from imposing tariffs on Chinese products, and over the last eight years the Chinese yuan has appreciated only very modestly against the U.S. dollar. Furthermore, according to the World Trade Organization, as of 2008 Chinese tariffs on a range of U.S. industrial goods were substantially higher than American tariffs. For example, Chinese and (American) tariffs on transport equipment, electrical machinery, and the category “other manufactures” were respectively 11.5 percent China (vs. 1.4 percent U.S.), 9.0 percent China (vs. 2.3 percent U.S.) and 12.2 percent China (vs. 2.3 percent U.S.) respectively. A mismatch in tariff levels and an undervalued Chinese currency together have helped create the large debt of today. In 2009, with the U.S. industrial economy in trouble, the Bush administration’s negotiating strategy appears to have been less than successful. Obama’s move should be viewed as a wise attempt to encourage the Chinese to revise some of their industrial policies, which over time will make it easier for the U.S. to pay back its debt and maintain stable, positive relations with its fourth-largest export market and one of the world’s most important countries. Edwin WayIU graduate student
In response to Edward Delp’s Opinion page column on Duke in the April 19th issue of the IDS (“Endgame at Duke”). While it is unfortunate that anyone is wrongfully prosecuted or presumed guilty as Edward Delp points out his Opinion page article of April 19th, it’s hard to imagine that many minority readers – particularly Blacks, Hispanics, and more recently those of Middle Eastern descent were not thinking “welcome to my world.” Although I am a white male, we are a group that if now presumed guilty until proven innocent, has only recently joined that club. The Japanese during WWII certainly were presumed guilty, and many other minorities have received less than equal treatment before the law. Likewise, if the Duke players had been poor white males instead of wealthy white males, does Mr. Delp really believe they would have been better off? I would doubt it. While wrongful prosecution can ruin lives, wealthy white males are not its only victims.
April 19, columnist Edward Delp wrote that the prosecution of the Duke Lacrosse Team was a sign of “reverse racism” (“Endgame at Duke”). And because of this racism, District Attorney Nifong would have to “eat crow” – weeks after the accuser dropped charges. Well, there is a food worse than crow. Silence. And there are millions of sexual assault survivors chewing that food right now. The column encourages them to swallow, and choke.\nDistrict Attorney Nifong followed procedure. He believed the complainant as long as she was still willing to prosecute, and kept the case together as long as was possible. How was he at fault?\nThe public climate to which the columnist referred was actually a secondary reaction to the initial response of the University. For months after the allegations, the lacrosse team was unsuspended and not investigated because the players were “good [read rich, white] boys.” Good [read rich, white] boys don’t rape. The public reacted to this blatant lie, not individual lacrosse players.\nProtestors criticized the American institution of racist sexual exploitation. Whether or not an assault took place, the lacrosse team specifically requested two African American strippers for their party. Perhaps they believed the seventeenth century propaganda that black women were inherently more licentious than white women, and subject to white men’s desires. The lacrosse team represented white male privilege, and that privilege over brown bodies was on trial in the public domain, as it should have been. \nLet me remind you that this public trial was not “reverse racism,” as there was no power structure to blindly enforce any hypothetical prejudice. The team members had a fair trial. In contrast, the trees of this state are fertilized by the blood of defendants in unfair trials. That’s racist. \nFinally, the columnist warns that, if we are not careful, this could happen here. How convenient that he encourages women not to speak in the middle of National Sexual Assault Awareness Month (Little Five Weekend, no less). For every person who steps forward, there are fourteen women who don’t. The real travesty is that the outcome of this very public trial encourages those fourteen to stay in the shadows, choking on silence to avoid “eating crow.”