The Stories Keep Coming
I’m probably going to regret this, but we need to talk about rape culture. We’ll begin by looking at recent news.
1. Steubenville’s football coach keeps his job.
Given Coach Saccoccia’s controversial behavior before and during the trial, which drew national scrutiny, many of us thought he at the very least would be shown the door after three decades of service. We all thought wrong. Today we learned that “Coach Sac,” as he is known, has been granted a two-year contract extension by the Steubenville school board. They made this decision despite the fact that a grand jury is meeting next week to assess whether he and others obstructed justice in the case. Saccoccia was legally required to report the sexual assault as soon as he was aware it took place. The grand jury will determine whether or not he in fact knew and tried to sweep it under the turf.
Whatever the conclusions of the grand jury, the question of whether Saccoccia should remain in a position to mold the minds of young men should not have been difficult to answer. Not when there are text messages sent by now-convicted team quarterback Trent Mays that read, “I got Reno. He took care of it and shit ain’t gonna happen, even if they did take it to court. Like he was joking about it so I’m not worried.” Not when, after the boys were arrested and charged, Saccocia kept them on the team for eight more games in their ten game season. Not when Saccoccia went nose-to-nose with a woman reporter looking into the rape case and said, “You’re gonna get yours. And if you don’t get yours, somebody close to you will.” Not when Coach Sac oversaw a locker room where the jock culture become inextricably connected to a rape culture.
I’m with Dave Zirin, author of the linked article. Getting rid of Coach Saccoccia seemed to be a no-brainer. The guy’s behavior, across the board, was indefensible. And yet he keeps his job. Why?
2. Innocent until proven guilty doesn’t apply to the girl.
When the assault happened in Forest Hills Central High School’s soundproof band room in 2010, the girl reported it to a teacher, who took the issue to the principal. The principal didn’t immediately offer the girl aid or assistance like you might expect from a human who feels emotions; instead, he told her to stay quiet because the guy was a star basketball players who had a shot at making it into a good school. No really, please watch the Onion clip; it’s uncanny.
The victim and her parents ignored the principal’s request not to file charges, mainly because they were fearful the boy would attack again. And guess what? He did. Two weeks after the first crime, the same boy sexually assaulted another female student.
And what happened to the girl who reported the assault?
As word of the sexual assault spread among the student body, the female victim became the target of an intensive cyber-bullying and harassment campaign—both at school and online—that depicted her as a liar and a “whore” who was trying to bring down an innocent athlete. These cyber-attacks were only reinforced by the fact that the school continued to take no action to reprimand the male student. Not only did fellow students harass the victim, the attacker and his friends verbally and physically harassed the girl as well. They followed her around as she moved in and out of classrooms, through hallways, and around the school campus. The attacker sometimes pushed her into other students as she walked down the hallway, causing her to slam into lockers. Despite repeated efforts by the victim’s parents and other students to alert the principal and the school’s Title IX Coordinator about the viciousness of the harassment by the attacker and other students, school administrators took no action.
But don’t worry, the school finally acted – they benched the guy for a few games because, hey, the punishment should fit the crime. Amiright? The school is now being sued. Good.
Yet another teenage girl killed herself after being sexually assaulted and aggressively cyber-bullied. Will Rehtaeh Parsons, a 17-year-old from Nova Scotia who died last Sunday after attempting suicide a few days earlier, go down in tragic history alongside Amanda Todd and Jessica Laney, two other teens who recently took their own lives under similar circumstances? Perhaps, but probably not, because the “teenage girl kills self after being ‘outed’ as a slut on the internet” phenomenon has become terrifyingly ubiquitous.
“She told me rape is like football, and if you look back on the game what would you have done differently in that situation?” said Annie Clark, describing a school administrator’s response to her sexual assault. Clark said she “absolutely” felt like she was being blamed for the crime against her.
Another student of the university, Andrea Pino, told CNN that school officials accused her of laziness after she reported lasting trauma from being raped.
A sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faces an Honor Court trial for allegedly “intimidating” a fellow student she says raped her.
Landen Gambill and other students filed a federal complaint against UNC last month over its handling of sexual assault cases on campus. Though Gambill never named her alleged attacker, the student has now filed a complaint with the university’s Honor Court against her.
Priorities, people! He felt intimidated! Did she feel intimidated? Who cares! It’s obviously not about her, or her feelings. Here’s the deal, we can dismiss both people’s feelings, but we can’t dismiss one person’s feelings while giving credit to the other person’s feelings. If feelings count, then count all of them.
Look, I believe strongly in innocent until proven guilty, but we rarely reach that point due to the way girls/women are placed on trial immediately after they speak out. Their accusations are simply not being treated seriously. These girls/women are dismissed. They are blamed. They are called liars, sluts, whores, vindictive bitches who are just trying to bring a good guy down. They are subject to constant harassment. Their word is constantly questioned and the message is clear. Speak up and we’ll shut you down… long before a trial. And that’s the point. This dismissive attitude by those in positions of authority combined with the online and in person harassment demonstrates that the verdict is handed down long before anyone enters a courtroom. And don’t think rapists haven’t figured this out. This method works to their advantage.
Today my daughter turns 16, and I can’t imagine how we would handle a situation like this. I would hope we would fight until the bitter end, but I cringe at what that would involve for her because I know that she would be placed on trial and found guilty long before she stepped foot in a courtroom – and the really sad thing is that given the way our system handles these cases, odds are she’d never see the inside of a courtroom. She, like many others, would be labeled guilty… and labeled other things, as well.
So, if we really care about innocent until proven guilty perhaps we should care enough to make it a two way street.
Tags: Rape Culture
Thank you Pandora for keeping up the coverage on this. The Ohio case has been so shocking that it isn’t surprising they renewed the coach’s contract. I hope the victim has a great attorney and they simply sue the brains out of the school board. Did I say brains? I think I should have said sues their butts off.
He keeps his job because, as became obvious during the trial, he represents the standards that the community wants.
BUT, BUT DUKE PANDORA
Frankly, I hope that there are more lawsuits, especially against the school and its board. If they are willing to keep a liability in their employment, they might as well pay for that liability.
Ugh, V. I’m bracing myself for that.
To clarify, Saccoccia’s contract renewal was for his position as director of administrative services, whatever that is. Sounds like something they created for him as long as he’s winning football games. It is separate from his coaching contract, so there’s a chance he won’t be on the sidelines this fall.
It shouldn’t matter. He doesn’t deserve to keep any job in that or any other district. He is a mandatory reporter, so I’ll be waiting for the criminal charges.
Caring more about what happens to the boys than the victimized girls is the logical extension of a religion — or, more properly, religions, plural — which places men in a superior position to women.
They are, sadly, living their values.
A sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faces an Honor Court trial for allegedly “intimidating” a fellow student she says raped her.
She’s lucky she isn’t getting sued for libel and/or defamation in a real court. You can’t just go around saying someone raped you. That is actionable.
Step 1 in the UNC process should be to call 911 and report the incident (and not just to campus police, either). Real crimes don’t belong in Kiddie Court.
“You can’t just go around saying someone raped you. That is actionable.”
Unless it’s TRUE.
A lot of universities present their campus police as actual law enforcement to their students. I made very clear to my college freshman that they are not and to call 911/actual police. But this is a situation I’m very aware of. How many parents/students actually know this? My bet is not many.
As far as actionable… Boy, is she lucky! UNC is also exhibit C and D. Guess those girls should feel lucky, too.
On most campuses, 911 rings to campus police. You’d have to figure out how to dial out to real 911.
UNC obviously has a problem and if it wasn’t clear enough before, it is now clear their procedures should be entirely bypassed by rape victims. Students who have committed a rape can likely be expelled if convicted in a real court. When mug shots of students start showing up in the local paper, reform will happen real quick.
The problem is if you use the UNC process, you can never legally establish the rape occurred. Which may be why some choose to use it, if they can’t meet the burden of proof.
“Which may be why some choose to use it, if they can’t meet the burden of proof.”
COME ON.
Dear god, you’re cynical. Do you really view women like this? I don’t think you really do, but the way you’re always so quick to paint the women as conniving is upsetting.
And what exactly is your burden of proof? What if there’s no sign of violence?
Pandora. Obviously if you’re going to lie about a rape, you would contact the campus police, because they aren’t real law enforcement and won’t be able to really do anything. All you’re looking to do is destroy the poor guy’s character anyway when the not-rape gets out instead of being immediately hushed under the rug by the school administration as bad PR.
oh wait.
As to what’s actionable, the original post says the woman never used her attacker’s name. No name, nothing actionable.
Come on Geezer, don’t be so gullible. If she didn’t name the alleged rapist, how did she report the rape to campus police? Do you think they forgot to ask that question?
Who did she name in her Honor Court proceeding – John Doe? As far as I know, putting it in writing makes it actionable for libel.
She said this guy was her long-term boyfriend who she said subjected her to “months of abuse.” There are probably at least a hundred people who knew his identity FROM HER or from others she had told.
Yeah, this poor dude. Having to be outed as an abusive boyfriend. That sucks so hard, bro.
Oh yeah, in a hypothetical libel situation, she’s have to prove the abuse claim too. Otherwise it is no more credible than writing it on the bathroom wall. It is a very serious thing to accuse a man of sexual or physical abuse.
Anyway, she didn’t call the police and couldn’t get her peers to believe in the rape either. Maybe something did happen, but you still can’t call a guy a rapist based on that.
Still, UNC has to get out of the rape trial business and leave it to the professionals.
It’s actually scary that the burden of proof may only exist if the girl commits suicide. Even taking pictures and bragging about the event isn’t enough. This entire discussion depresses me.
Like I said, my sweet girl turned 16 today, and the crap she’s already had to deal with would stop your heart. I have a son and a daughter and have raised them the same – same sex talk, same safety talk, same empathy lessons, etc.. Exactly the same. May I humbly request that others start doing this because I’m really tired of dealing with your kid’s effed up views of women and sexuality. Thank you.
“As far as I know, putting it in writing makes it actionable for libel.”
I hope nobody is banking on you for legal advice.
Accusing someone of rape in a police report is not libel. And “actionable” is far different from “provable.”
Should he file a libel suit, his burden is going to be quite difficult to meet. First he’ll have to show that he’s telling the truth. Then he’ll have to show that he suffered some sort of damage from this. Unless and until someone turns him down for a job based on the allegations, good luck with that.
In fact, goading him into a libel suit will give her a chance to take statements from him under oath during discovery. I have a strong feeling that he won’t be doing that.
I have a son and I will not have him convicted of rape by the editors of Jezebel or HuffPo.
Glad to know you believe he’s innocent before any facts are in. You just disqualified yourself from having anything intelligent to say on this issue.
puck – you may not mean it, but this is how your posts come across:
all women are liars until they can prove they aren’t
all men are innocent until proven guilty
doesn’t feel the same does it?
Hey! I know what to do! When a woman accuses a man of rape we can throw her in the river and if she floats…
Only half kidding, because… what V said.
He won’t be convicted of anything, Puck, if you teach him what consent is – which I know you will.
I think you are all inviting me to respond in kind to your attacks on me and my family – is that right? Because I am more than capable. Except for the family part – I won’t stoop to that. Otherwise let’s try to stick to civility and logic.
@Geezer:
Then he’ll have to show that he suffered some sort of damage from this.
Well he probably won’t suffer any immediate damages since he was cleared by Kiddie Court.
Unless and until someone turns him down for a job based on the allegations, good luck with that.
He will never know, not until employers or grad programs are required to disclose why they didn’t hire you. But you are right, that is not provable, just future tough luck for the guy. He’s lucky Google has apparently not yet found his name to link to the stories, but they will.
I only mentioned your son in response to your mentioning your son. And I was quite clear that you would teach him what consent is.
@geezer
Glad to know you believe he’s innocent before any facts are in.
And you don’t? What country do you live in?
“And you don’t? What country do you live in?”
The only situation in which I am obligated to think someone innocent until proven guilty is if I’m an officer of the court — judge, prosecutor, jury. Otherwise I’m perfectly within my rights to think whatever I want. And I don’t think anything until I hear some evidence.
You, on the other hand, have made clear that you will defend your son whether he is right or wrong, before any evidence comes in. Check your own assumptions before you attack mine.
“He’s lucky Google has apparently not yet found his name to link to the stories, but they will.”
And the self-pitying assumptions just keep on comin’.
random offshoot
Do you think the Boston brothers are innocent puck? I only really hear your thoughts on this matter on sex-related crimes.
In the Boston case, the incriminating video actually managed not to get “lost.” And the surviving suspect confessed, and there are BBs all over his dorm room. So yeah I have a pretty good feeling we got the right guy.
On another tangent, speaking of cultures: Parents, teach your young daughters not to be attracted to “bad boys,” and then act all surprised when they turn out to be, y’know, BAD. (yeah, I know, rape is rape, but still).
Puck, let it go.
The percentage of women who “make it up” or who get peer pressured into remembering a “bad hook-up” differently.. or whatever you’re suggesting happens, is SO small compared to women who are actually assaulted. It’s small compared to women who never report. I agree that it happens. I think everyone here agrees that, in rare cases, a rape accusation CAN be totally false, or mis-remembered (maybe due to intoxication). No one has said that all women are totally honest all the time forever. I also totally understand your “innocent until proven guilty” position, especially since a rape accusation can do the same damage to a person’s reputation as a rape conviction. But I think that is a side-effect of an overall good movement (in this country at least) that being branded a “rapist” is tantamount to a “social death penalty.” Again, something i think is just and deserved. If you’re a rapist, fuck you. You can get a job cleaning up monkey shit and should have to wear an R for the rest of your life so decent people know to stay away.
Pandora’s language regarding “rape apologists” is a little hyperbolic and, to me anyway, doesn’t allow for an acknowledgement that women CAN be as shitty as men…. (everyone lies about everything. That shouldn’t even be a discussion.) But that isnt the topic at hand. The topic is, women are being sexually assaulted in our “most prestigious” institutions….. many of which are run by men…. and they aren’t getting justice, while they’re alleged attackers get to also pretend to be a victim..
BEN I AM SO PROUD OF YOU.
(and I also agree. I never said women are perfect. I think you nailed it.)
In a similar vein.. I’ve always felt we should all slit the throats of every Republican. After all, they are asking for it, flaunting their wealth, exposing their Rolex watches, wearing their fine clothes, brand new shoes .. They’re just asking for it… if any Republican is found dead beside the road, who cares. They obviously had it coming.. All that money… Flaunting their wealth. They should have dressed in rags, driven a beat up old car, and smoked unfiltered camels. I mean.. If you’re going to walk around like you’re rich…. well sorry. You deserved it. It’s your fault you got robbed and beat up.. Don’t come crying to us…
WTF? I’m reading this on my cell phone so I’m pretty fucking sure this isn’t 1950. There is no way in the 21st Century we’re still blaming the woman for being raped. Evolve.
Another story. Not directly rape-related, but pretty fucking awful nonetheless.
RDB, your link doesn’t work.
Sorry. Try this:
http://www.aclu.org/blog/womens-rights-lgbt-rights-racial-justice-criminal-law-reform/shut-or-get-out-pa-city-punishes
Oh my, Roland, that is horrible.
I heard that story yesterday on WHYY and that is horrible. Wilmington has a nuisance property program too, but you have to rack up a certain number of points within a time period to be called in front of the Nuisance Property Committee for some resolution. This story is another lesson in why 3 strikes and your out only should be used in baseball. Real Life is too nuanced for it to be effective for anything.