Victim Blaming: Gang rape of 11 year old girl in Texas

[stephaknee]

http://jezebel.com/#!5780022/media-blows-it-with-pathetic-gang-rape-coverage
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/us/09assault.html?_r=2&hp

Do you think the Times article discussed is slanted? How do you feel about the views of the people interviewed (ie: the girl dressed older than she "should?" She talked about sex on her facebook, etc). I'll post more later, I have to go to class now.

 

[Tragyk]

I wouldn't really say that Times article is that slanted... I read that one first and I definitely did not get the "she deserved that" or "she had that coming" vibe from it. Mentioning witness statements isn't slanted, and I think the "Where was her mom?" thing is a bit more along the lines of a reader warning than a finger pointing. I think they were just aiming to remind parents that it is important to watch your kids. I'm pretty sure jezebel.com is just creating drama where there is none for more readers.

 

[Nyangoro]

I've always been of the opinion that, though some "fault" may lie with the victim (who might have been doing something that she should have been more discerning about), it doesn't (or shouldn't) take away blame from the person who actually committed the action. I mean, I don't care what she was doing, the culprits still had to decide to do it.

Of course, given that she's 11, I'd sooner blame the parents than the little girl. I am kinda interested to know what exactly the mother was doing when her daughter was doing all of these things that could possibly entice someone to act.

 

[Professor Ven]

This shows nothing more than the dark, more true side of humanity, like the animals we could be without authority to contain those who cannot discipline themselves.

 

[Bukkake Sensei]

Let's say that you take two eleven-year-old girls and put them in front of me. Both of them have been subjected to identically horrible, sadistic, prolonged gang rapes involving at least 18 different men in identical abandoned trailer homes. One of them lead a very typical pre-teen life in the suburbs prior to the attack, where she was mostly ignorant of sex, always in bed by 8:30 p.m., had never used any kind of illicit substances, always dressed very conservatively, and so on. The other girl dressed provocatively, publicly boasted about her experimentation with drugs, sex and alcohol, and preferred the company of boys many years older than her, and had a reputation as a bit of a bad girl.

Now, you tell me that it is within my power to travel back in time and save only one of these girls from their tragedy. Maybe I'm a cruel, heartless, nasty person (and I'm sure a lot of feminists feel this way) but there is no question in my mind about which girl I would choose to help. I don't care if there's any proven correlation between sexually provocative behavior and the likelihood of being assaulted. Common sense takes precedence over political correctness.

 

[metrifyx]

http://publiceditor.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/gang-rape-story-lacked-balance/

Personally, I don't care how "provocatively" she dressed. This girl obviously did not want to be raped, otherwise it wouldn't be rape. Now, I don't have any idea of what goes on in a male's head, but it doesn't seem too hard to just look away. Most people in this world have enough self-control not to rape someone just because they're tempted to. Otherwise, I doubt that girl would be wearing "provocative clothing." She has the right to wear whatever she wants without being subjected to something so horrific. Though even I'll admit that getting into a car with some guy—assuming that he was not a close friend or relative—is not a smart idea. Even that doesn't matter because she wasn't the one who committed the crime, like Nevermore said.

Regardless of anything the child or guardian(s) did or did not do, they shouldn't be blamed, nor should the perpetrators be offered any sympathy. Rape is illegal; they knew the consequences, now it's time to pay up.

 

[lilVon]

http://publiceditor.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/gang-rape-story-lacked-balance/

Personally, I don't care how "provocatively" she dressed. This girl obviously did not want to be raped, otherwise it wouldn't be rape. Now, I don't have any idea of what goes on in a male's head, but it doesn't seem too hard to just look away. Most people in this world have enough self-control not to rape someone just because they're tempted to. Otherwise, I doubt that girl would be wearing "provocative clothing." She has the right to wear whatever she wants without being subjected to something so horrific. Though even I'll admit that getting into a car with some guy—assuming that he was not a close friend or relative—is not a smart idea. Even that doesn't matter because she wasn't the one who committed the crime, like Nevermore said.

Regardless of anything the child or guardian(s) did or did not do, they shouldn't be blamed, nor should the perpetrators be offered any sympathy. Rape is illegal; they knew the consequences, now it's time to pay up.

whether given consent or not when a male above the age of 17 has sex with a female under the age of 18 it is considered rape :/

 

[Lanydx reborn]

......What the hell is wrong with these people? You don't do anything to kids. The F***?!

 

[blueheart]

Now, I don't have any idea of what goes on in a male's head, but it doesn't seem too hard to just look away. Most people in this world have enough self-control not to rape someone just because they're tempted to .

What do you mean "tempted to"? Do most men want to rape a woman or girl?

 

[Luap]

That's disgusting. An 11 year old? ugh. I would write a more better post, but I'm lazy. I hope these guys get jailed for a long time.

What do you mean "tempted to"? Do most men want to rape a woman or girl?

~I know every female I see I want to rape! ~

 

[Professor Ven]

Let's say that you take two eleven-year-old girls and put them in front of me. Both of them have been subjected to identically horrible, sadistic, prolonged gang rapes involving at least 18 different men in identical abandoned trailer homes. One of them lead a very typical pre-teen life in the suburbs prior to the attack, where she was mostly ignorant of sex, always in bed by 8:30 p.m., had never used any kind of illicit substances, always dressed very conservatively, and so on. The other girl dressed provocatively, publicly boasted about her experimentation with drugs, sex and alcohol, and preferred the company of boys many years older than her, and had a reputation as a bit of a bad girl.

Now, you tell me that it is within my power to travel back in time and save only one of these girls from their tragedy. Maybe I'm a cruel, heartless, nasty person (and I'm sure a lot of feminists feel this way) but there is no question in my mind about which girl I would choose to help. I don't care if there's any proven correlation between sexually provocative behavior and the likelihood of being assaulted. Common sense takes precedence over political correctness.

I think this sums up the majority's opinion nicely.

 

[metrifyx]

What do you mean "tempted to"? Do most men want to rape a woman or girl?

~I know every female I see I want to rape! ~

That's not what I meant at all. |D You ever hear someone say, "I'd tap that?" It's not like you would actually just go and have sex with said person, especially when the person in question is a) underage or b) does not consent. Apparently these guys didn't have the self-control that most people have. In no way was I insinuating that men (or women) want to rape every person they see, or have ever considered raping anyone at all, and I apologize for coming off like that. That's ridiculous. What I meant by that statement was that I'm sure that people have seriously considered something like that but pulled themselves together, and that just about every person has the self-control and respect to never attempt such a thing.

whether given consent or not when a male above the age of 17 has sex with a female under the age of 18 it is considered rape :/

Right, I completely forgot about statutory rape.

...Rape is disgusting by itself, but raping an eleven year-old girl? I can't even fathom it.

 

[blueheart]

I'm still confused. I don't get what you mean by "self control". Sure, most guys want sex, but it's not the same as rape. They want the person to consent, to like it. Not for the girl to scream and cry and beg for help. I'm not blaming you, but it still seems like your saying most people restrain themselves from that, meaning they would want to do such a thing in the first place.

 

[Byakuya]

Regardless of whether or not it's true... How is it hard to tell someone who's that far underage from age of consent? I'm honestly more disturbed that these "Offenders" were as old as 27.

i think it's funny that they're all black. there's no details on the victim, either. I always thought everyone from texas was spoiled and white. D=

But yeah, that's... A bit unsettling.

 

[Roaringflames]

By god, an eleven year old, that's close to my age

Now who the Fu.ck contemplates raping an innocent girl just because of her looks, that's a new low for humanity YAY!!! = D. Either way, I hope these men die in prison, if not, I hope they get prison raped.

And by the way, doesn't someone get raped everyday

 

[metrifyx]

@blueheart: I see where you're coming from now. I agree that nearly all guys would not want to rape someone even if they do want sex. Perhaps the words "self-control" were not the right words to express my opinion, but rather that people have the common sense and desire not to rape someone. I know quite a few people in my own life who struggled with self-control when it came to rape, and I wake up every day feeling lucky that some of those people made the right choice. I can't say that much for the other percentage, and I know many people who have been hurt by their decisions. In other words, I was probably biased when writing my initial response because of my own experiences.

Edit: @Roaringflames: It's much more than that. However, it's difficult to obtain an accurate number because of so many cases that weren't actually reported to the police. Either way, there's a lot. ): Really, even one case is much too many.

 

[Alaude Drenxta]

I sincerely hope that each and every single one of them spends the rest of their mortal lives rotting alone in a jail cell.

They damn sure deserve, no matter WHAT the circumstances.

 

[Ovafaze]

Usually, men don't decide to rape someone because they're "attractive" or because they want some action, it usually has to do with the man wanting a feeling of control and dominance, but unfortunately some men DO rape for that reason, we have no way of knowing what was going through all 18 of their heads as they committed the act, nor do we know anything about the girl except for what the media has told us, therefore I don't think we should make any assumptions or wish harm or punishment to anybody involved.Then again..look were I'm posting this.

 

[metrifyx]

Usually, men don't decide to rape someone because they're "attractive" or because they want some action, it usually has to do with the man wanting a feeling of control and dominance, but unfortunately some men DO rape for that reason, we have no way of knowing what was going through all 18 of their heads as they committed the act, nor do we know anything about the girl except for what the media has told us, therefore I don't think we should make any assumptions or wish harm or punishment to anybody involved.Then again..look were I'm posting this.

I agree that we can't exactly know what was going through all of their heads, but I disagree with this part. It's still a crime no matter the circumstances, and all eighteen of them need to pay for their actions. Does that mean that we need to wish hurt on them? No, but I don't think it's too much to ask for a little justice.

 

[Alaude Drenxta]

No matter what the circumstances are, they are still guilty of a sadistic, disgusting, and heinous crime, and were I a christian man I would do everything in my power to ensure they burn in hell.

Sorry, I'm zero tolerance for adolescent gang rape. I'm shocked that some of you seem so un-bothered by it, if I lived around there I'd find each one of those kids and feed them their damn teeth, one by one.