Tuesday, May 13, 2014

What is it that stars get to do?

Recently, three (male) basketball players at the University of Oregon were removed from the team (though they waited until after the playoffs) because they sexually assaulted another UO student.  They maintain it was consensual, the woman says it was not, and the Eugene Police Department declined to prosecute, citing lack of evidence.  Susan Nielsen wrote an opinion piece about the incident. One sentence took my breath away.
Did you catch that? 
 "...treats its athletes like stars and then expresses shock when they behave accordingly." 
So that's what stars do?  Rape?

I'd love if we could move rape into something that is assumed will not happen rather than something that is stupidly, insanely, infuriatingly common.

2 comments:

  1. It is hard to know what to say to this. How horrible.

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  2. Good grief. I think Susan Nielsen was in over her head, writing that opinion piece. One of the things I hate most about "rape culture" is that it treats men like mindless beasts who are incapable of controlling themselves around women. It's disgusting. Looks like Ms. Nielsen buys into that theory.

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