My thoughts on this case haven’t changed much. I still believe that Mary Doe was raped, still admit I can’t know for sure. Contrary to what many critics have claimed, I don’t call for anyone to be convicted without a trial. (I haven’t seen a single feminist blogger disagree with the previous sentence, yet we are constantly accused of wanting a conviction without a trial. Strawfeminists, anyone?)
As always, check out Justice 4 Two Sisters, a blog dedicated solely to this case. Many of the following links are via J4TS.
Wahneema Lubiano: Perfect Victims and Perfect Villains
I’m suggesting that some of the discussion, the rhetoric, being circulated in the aftermath of the incident and coming either from those defending the alleged offenders or those defending the alleged victim, is rhetoric driven, haunted, by a fight over whether or not we have offenders who can be seen as “perfect” in their villainy and a victim whose victimage can be seen as necessarily complete and thus “perfect.”
Mark Anthony Neal: (White) Male Privilege, Black Respectability, and Black Women’s Bodies
Ruth Sheehan: If Lying, Take Her To Task
Justice 4 Two Sisters: Tawana Brawley Revisited
Sports Illustrated: The Six Most Important Factors For A Rape Conviction
The author seems less interested in actual guilt or innocence than he is in what elements lead to a “guilty” verdict. But it’s certainly an educational read.
Abyss2Hope: How Solid Are the Reported Alibis?
The Happy Feminist: The Security Guard’s Report May Corroborate Mary Doe’s Story
This is particularly notable because Happy Feminist is a former prosecutor. The discussion in comments has some interesting bits, as well.
Pandagon: The More Helpless the Victim, the More Defensible The Violence
If I Ran The Zoo: The Duke Car Theft Case
This is pretty similar to an earlier post of mine (“Rape is not the only crime that pits one person’s word against another’s”), but she uses a better example and also criticizes some of the feminist-bashing that’s going on.
Thoughts From Too Far North: Life Is Not Like CSI
Pinko Feminist Hellcat: Race, Entitlement, and Rape
Of course, there have also been a number of excellent posts by the kick-ass guest posters on “Alas”; please visit the archive of posts about the Duke rape case to read those posts.
****Important note for comment-writers****
Comments on this post are for “feminist and pro-feminist posters” only. However, everyone is welcome to post comments on the same post at Creative Destruction. So if you’re not clearly a feminist, and you want your comment to be seen, I strongly advise you to post it over there, rather than on “Alas.”
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Nitpick re: the Happy Feminist link. It’s “corroborate,” not “collaborate.”
[Thanks! Correction made! –Amp]
Thanks for the link! Just FYI, my post originated at Property of a Lady. I was cross-posting at If I Ran the Zoo as a birthday present for Tom.
I had a discussion with a friend last night. The crux of it was that as a result of the violent state of the world, the human species needed ditching. I replied that as far as I was concerned the “whole” species is not causing most of the problems. I was labeled a manhater yet again. I’m not. But I know that those that don’t do the acts can hardly find the solution. It’s those that commit and incite acts of violence,(rape being a very frequent one) whose ways have to change. Sure those of us that don’t stand up to the culture that says males can do whatever they like don’t help, but you have to feel strong enough to stand up to madness. That’s hard when you are on the recieving end of its consequences. That’s not an excuse, just like seeing where the problem lies doesn’t constitute blame. I was then asked what I was going to do about it. What can I do?? Well I can make sure that I do stand up for others rights so that I am not part of the problem. I can also write in the hope of changing the attitude of people, and I do that. In my work as a therapist I can help clients come to terms with their trauma and their choices. But I still say that it is ‘men’ that have to change mens culture. Men have to be around to bring up boys. And they have to be men that care about the boys, themselves, the women and the world. That’s a tall order from where we currently stand. When we worked together in a community maybe it was easier. The corporate world works hard to keep us so busy we can’t see what’s happening to ourselves, let alone the next generation. But if we are going to change the direction of a society and a world in freefall, any man doing anything caring is a step in the right direction. More men speaking up against the violence is better. When there are enough men that see that they are hurting themselves as muc h as anyone else by destroying anything good in the world, maybe it will turn around. In the meantime, I’ll just keep writing about it, hoping someone reads it and changes as a result.