Reading, Rape, and Racism
By Marc Sheppard (04/11/06)
If your objective is to capture the attention and immediate sympathy of the Mainstream Media (MSM) without the need to suffer the inconvenience of the burden of proof, there’s no letter in the English -- well, actually, Latin -- Alphabet more accommodating than the almighty “R.”
It’s a beautiful and extraordinarily versatile letter, and the media loves it! Take, for example, the word “Right”. They absolutely adore the term “Right Wing” when describing people or organizations in their disfavor – Although you’ll rarely hear the term “Left Wing” unless they’re reporting an Airline accident. They opine ad nauseum of a woman’s “Right” to choose or about the sanctity of Reproductive and Civil “Rights”.
And let’s not forget the word “Republican”. The sheer delight they reveal in their hypocritical use of the word’s adjective form is truly confounding. Would the Washington Post have ever referred to an accused sleaze-bag as Former Democratic lobbyist Jack Abramoff, had he been so affiliated?
Yet, the two most dangerous and errantly fired rounds of “R” words and those most likely to succeed in further polarizing an already divided society are these: Racism and Rape. Each of these words is an argument-ender in its own right, but placed together in a sentence in any order or construct – they are collective dynamite!
Those of us who have been paying attention sense that there’s an unwritten rule governing the majority of MSM news rooms -- mistakenly driven by a Politically Correct insistence on “diversity” and “inclusion” -- wherein it is unwritten that black on white crime is to be underreported, while the antithesis is to be emphasized. We have been forced to read between the lines when both our Television and printed News Media are quick to use the term “White Male” when a suspect is Caucasian, but indisposed to include race in their description of other suspected wrong-doers. This is particularly worrisome when the intent is to warn the public of a suspect-at-large.
While discerning minds may easily peer through this insipid smoke screen of selected suspect descriptions, the intent is all too transparent; the effect all too dangerous.
When “News” of an alleged Rape of an “exotic dancer”, who had been hired to “entertain” members of the Duke University lacrosse team during a party at an off-campus home, was rendered additionally heinous by accusations from the supposed victim that she had been beaten and subjected to Racial slurs by her three attackers, the MSM stopped all presses to push this story to the forefront, where it remained for many days.
I’m sure that knowing, “gotcha”, glances abounded when the ensuing investigation uncovered one of the suspect’s lurid e-mail rant which suggested that he wanted to “kill and skin” strippers in his Dorm Room. Troubling and abominable, to be sure; but hardly sufficient evidence of a crime. It was, however, adequate cause to both pressure the team’s coach to resign and cancel the duration of the team’s season.
Yesterday, attorneys for members of the erstwhile team announced that no DNA belonging to any of the accused was found “anywhere near or about the body of this woman.” Now, as a nation of armchair forensic experts -- properly licensed by the State of CBS Television’s CSI series -- we’ve come to make a number of assumptions concerning crime scenes. Perhaps primary to these postulates is that where there’s gang-rape, there’s sure to be physical evidence.
Yet, today, the battle cry continues. The wagons remain encircled. The usual suspects are hitting the MSM circuit as though buckets of probative DNA had been uncovered. Conspicuously -- yet not surprisingly -- absent however, has been the Rev. Al Sharpton. I presume the Reverend is looking for a way to ease himself into this situation without reminding the world that he has yet to apologize for the Tawana Brawley hoax he was complicit in 18 years ago.
If, indeed, Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong has additional information which explains this lack of physical evidence, or, if advocates for the defense were sugar-coating the DNA testing results yesterday, then it behooves the authorities in charge to take this matter out of the hands of the all-too-eager Media and put their facts on the record, forthwith!
To be sure, crying Rape in the absence of assault is an affront to all women, particularly victims of this atrocious crime. Similarly, the improvident accusation of Racism in the absence of such malice is an outrage to the progress this nation has made in overcoming such ignorance. Moreover, the irresponsible merging of these two mistruths is unforgivable.
Marc Sheppard is a business owner and writer residing on Long Island, New York.
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