Damn fine poetry you write :-)!

That may indeed be justice .....

“my life is over, no one is going to want me now.” ---- Maybe Richmond should have thought of that b4 he behaved so stupidly! Liberal media indeed, show open sympathy for the criminals, but not one word of sympathy for the girl. Boys on the football team have always been treated as if they were above the law, it's just too bad these boys had to grow into full-blown narcissists so young!

Very true and very sad indeed. Athletes have had a history of being told they can do no wrong. And this is just one of the results of that culture.

Tell it, wolfess!
This was a truly despicable act -- all the more shocking for the fact that NOBODY at the party appears to have stepped in to either protect the woman or stop the men.
The very fact that they felt free to post it on social media suggests that they regarded it as either perfectly acceptable or, at most, a "harmless" prank. Horrible.

Yes, both your comments get to the real crime in this ... why didn't anyone do something to stop this? I have been to my share of HS booze brawls, but never did anyone pull the kind of crap these kids did! I would hate to think that HS kids now are as narcissistic as the brats in Steubenville seem to be.

"On January 6, Keenan's mother, Jefferson County Prosecutor Jane Hanlin denied the allegations that her son and her house were involved in the case."*

Too often, we reward the bullies. Hell, we elect a bunch of them.

The herd mentality behind it is something I find extremely disturbing.
In some ways -- without in any way trivialising the crime itself -- it is the most disturbing aspect of all.
This is something that could have been prevented by peer pressure alone.
But it wasn't. The majority (!) simply by failing to intervene, condoned it.

Perhaps he would rather have been raped ....

If my kid did that , i would BEAT him myself .... then turn him in . A woman brought him into this world through her sweat and blood , they had better show some RESPECT .

I was so glad that my high school, did not have a football team.

You are right about the herd mentality being a very disturbing part of this ... when I was reading your comment I thought about that book, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, and the crimes that are committed when the herd mentality takes over. The 2 men in the book didn't have the mental capability to murder on their own, but when they connected, their personalities created a third person. Kinda doubt if that is what clinically happened in this case, but I do absolutely agree that the herd mentality took over as that would explain why no one stepped forward to stop them.

Yeah, we elect them and appoint them CEOs of Wall Street banks :-)!

I think most schools would be better off if they didn't have sports teams.

He might get his opportunity in juvie :-)!

They should do music and art instead ... the culture would be rejuvenated on a grand scale . The kids would learn to be with the world , not oppress it . Different mentality altogether ....

"Boys on the football team have always been treated as if they were above the law, it's just too bad these boys had to grow into full-blown narcissists so young!"

Well said!

"hate to think that HS kids now are as narcissistic as the brats in Steubenville seem to be."

when they're told/shown their the "special" ones, the "elites" yes, yes this is what I'd expect of them....

Truth!

I agree 100%! "organized" sports, like "organized" religion breeds the worst elements.

Agree!

So true; and have you noticed in this 'sequestration' battle the first programs to be cut are art and music -- we haven't evolved, we're still knuckle-dragging cavemen when it comes to sports!

This is the mentality of a great percentage of the population. Sad.

I have indeed ...

I was not aware of all this, but it doesn't surprise me at all.....shades of Penn State everywhere.....power corrupts, absolute power absolutely corrupts.

Thanks for the added info, atilla.

Indeed. Those old sayings are still around because they are SO true.

You are very welcome, cpad. I remembered reading about how the local leaders and officials closed ranks to protect the boys and others at the parties. Since we are dealing with some similar stuff where I live, it resonated and stuck in my memory (as bad as that is getting these days).

One just hopes people realize this is NOT an isolated event. It happens all over and it happens over and over. So much easier for us to just close our eyes and pretend our communities are filled with only good people. That is how the bad stuff gets left unaddressed, how the society slides toward the bullies. We must wake the frock up and look around our own communities, find out what is really going on and if bad stuff is happening, we must find out why. If it keeps happening, we must confront the cultural norms that are so very wrong and that takes a lot of courage, perseverance and hard work. Too many people just want to ignore reality, sweep stuff under a rug and hum along in their delusions that it's all good.

Sometimes, I think America, the whole lot of us, need to go to some CODA* meetings and get with the program. The only way to stop so much bad stuff is to stop putting up with it.

*Co-Dependents Anonymous, as in learn to stop enabling bad behavior.

... and be demonized like SHE was ?! NO , they do not raise kids with moral fiber like that in some places .... they raised 'em to be OBEDIENT and QUIET , and to NEVER ASK QUESTIONS .

OH . my GOSH ! It was at her HOUSE ?!

Thanks for that very detailed response.
What a mess. And how telling that such "pillars of society" are so eager to cover up, brush off or excuse this abusive, misogynistic behaviour and criminal assault.
Hopefully, this high-profile case will help to shift societal attitudes somewhat.

Exactly the "elites" were doing their damnedest to cover-up and protect their own.

You are one smart cookie, Attila -- I hadn't even considered the outrageous differences between these 2 cases!

Maybe not so smart as much as a true Libra. Always looking for balance, usually seeing balance lacking.

Ah yes, seeking balance in this country at the moment is almost enough to cause one to become imbalanced :-)! I'm a gemini and I DO love words ...

What was "difficult" about this conviction?
It seems pretty clear-cut.

What exactly do you mean by "rape is a difficult conviction"?

No means no.
Inability to consent means no consent.

There was no "he said / she said" in this case, It was all published boastfully online.

What do you find "difficult" about that?

If, however, you mean that the conviction is "difficult" for the perpetrator to live with-- let me assure you that the crime itself is difficult for the victim to live with.

(PS: simply downvoting is not an answer)

the rest of us understood exactly what HH meant by a difficult conviction.

Let me spell it out for you. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO GET A CONVICTION IN A RAPE TRIAL in this F_cked up nation of ours.

Certainly, it can be difficult to get a conviction in a rape trial, for many different reasons I need not outline here. For that very reason, rapes are under-reported.

However, in this particular case -- and that was my point -- it was absolutely cut and dried, photographically documented beyond all doubt, and posted widely online.

So, what was the "difficulty" here that I missed that "the rest of us understood"?

You don't live in the states , do ya ... It is hard to explain ... A patriarchy as extremist as ours .

I wouldn't want to judge, as I feel that we do still have a long way to go here in Europe, but reading forums such as this can indeed be quite an eye-opener.

I could tell you some stories too terrible to believe . Of course there is no proof , so no sane woman would go to trial , because in this culture , justice costs money . If the perp HAS it , and you don't ... well , this girl was lucky there was SO much evidence .

let me put it this way....I would be willing to bet that almost everyone commenting on this post knows at least one woman/girl, where "it was absolutely cut and dried," and there was still no conviction.

“I would be willing to bet…” sadly, you would very probably win that bet.

So, if anything positive comes of this whole sordid story, hopefully it will be that it sheds a harsher light on the issue and, with that, eventually leads to some change for the better.

One wonders about the culture in that community, that the boys felt they didn't have to face reality and plea. That many pictures, witnesses, texts by witnesses and they thought they could beat it? If I had a daughter in that town, I would move. There is rot there.

I don't think it's just "that town".
Violence against women can be found in other towns, too.

You are preaching (needlessly) to the choir. Have long been an advocate for rape victims.

Good to hear it, attila.
Let's hope that this incident prompts more people to join that choir, and raise their voices in unison too.

I think generally our culture deifies sports figures. They're given a pass on many things other people are punished for. It filters down to even the local high school. The local community rallies around the football team. Coaches lobbying teachers to round student athletes grades up from F's to C's. These defendants seem to think they were untouchable. That they'd beat this, or be cut a break like they were in many other things in life.

Reality comes at them fast when the jury comes back with a verdict and the judge slams the gavel during sentencing.

It's pretty sad, really, when a conviction in such a clear-cut and well documented (social networking sites) incident has to be hailed as "excellent news" -- as though there might have been any possibility of the perpetrators getting off scot free.

It's excellent news because perpetrators JUST like this HAVE gotten off scot free in the past no matter how well documented.

Sad, but probably true.
I do hope that this helps to change social attitudes, though

nice smirks you stupid little pricks