Don't Lacrosse Duke Part II
I wrote an entry on September 29, 2007 concerning the treatment of the Duke Lacrosse team by the police, prosecutor and worst of all the school administration. It was based on an article from Yahoo in which the dean of Duke was apologizing to the alumni groups for grossly mismanaging the situation. The latest in the fiasco is that the lacrosse team members are suing the school, police and prosecutor for a variety of things. My big question is why it took so long.
The way the "guilty until proven less guilty" activity took place made a mockery of the entire American judicial system. Sure it pitted the rich spoiled upper crust youth against the poor helpless black stripper. And of course rape is a serious matter but once the evidence pointed away from the lacrosse team, it should have dropped. What would have been even better is for the crime to be investigated before the supposition of guilt was splashed all over the media. By the time the truth could be reported, it was already too sensationalized to find an avenue of escape.
This is a good lesson in how things get out of hand. It is like The Sorcerer's Apprentice with Mickey Mouse getting the brooms going and not being able to stop them. When the media is so hungry for a story, they will publish anything just to be first, it becomes ugly when the truth actually comes out. This is a case when freedom of speech causes big time collateral damage. When people's lives are disrupted so the media can get their precious story, it is like the paparazzi chasing Britney Spears. Break any law for a picture or break any law for a story. What is the difference? Oh but it's first amendment. Some things are bigger than the precious story.
Icool
Cobb
The way the "guilty until proven less guilty" activity took place made a mockery of the entire American judicial system. Sure it pitted the rich spoiled upper crust youth against the poor helpless black stripper. And of course rape is a serious matter but once the evidence pointed away from the lacrosse team, it should have dropped. What would have been even better is for the crime to be investigated before the supposition of guilt was splashed all over the media. By the time the truth could be reported, it was already too sensationalized to find an avenue of escape.
This is a good lesson in how things get out of hand. It is like The Sorcerer's Apprentice with Mickey Mouse getting the brooms going and not being able to stop them. When the media is so hungry for a story, they will publish anything just to be first, it becomes ugly when the truth actually comes out. This is a case when freedom of speech causes big time collateral damage. When people's lives are disrupted so the media can get their precious story, it is like the paparazzi chasing Britney Spears. Break any law for a picture or break any law for a story. What is the difference? Oh but it's first amendment. Some things are bigger than the precious story.
Icool
Cobb
posted by Cobb at
3:47 PM
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