Teen shares photos of "alleged" gang rape

[Invincible Summer]

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Teen...207/story.html

It's really sad to see this sort of bullshit happen. I believe it happened not too long ago somewhere in the US too.

I stole this from my friend's Facebook page, and some other comments are worrying about how the Internet should be policed and whatnot...

Hello?!?! Someone is gang-raped and people take pictures and you don't worry about the state of patriarchy or women's rights amongst youth?!?!

Here's a very telling quote:

On Facebook Thursday afternoon, it was apparent some teens disagreed, with some making jokes about Pitt Meadow’s bad reputation.
“If you knew the true story you would find it funny...” wrote a young man who graduated from Pitt Meadows Secondary last spring.

Do you think rape and violence against women is trivialized and almost a joke amongst youth today? I mean, it's really common to hear people say "Oh I got raped by that test" and whatnot, which sort of minimizes the severity of the act.


Plus, I've noticed it's a trend to annotate rape cases with "alleged," as if the woman is not trustworthy. What the fuck is up with that?

[Muzk]

Well.....

You can't censore the reality!

I'm with you Basta, since I too, have recognized a growing trivialization of rape and violence against women around here.

[Vanguard1917]

Do you think rape and violence against women is trivialized and almost a joke amongst youth today? I mean, it's really common to hear people say "Oh I got raped by that test" and whatnot, which sort of minimizes the severity of the act.

Just a small comment on this. If i said 'i could murder a steak and kidney pie' or 'i'm going to slaughter you at snooker', would i be trivialising killing?

Rape is trivialised often, particularly by those who wish to widen the definition of rape to involve things that are not actually rape, e.g. drunken consensual sex or consensual sex that you happen to regret the next day. But i don't think that language has much to do with this.

[727Goon]

Plus, I've noticed it's a trend to annotate rape cases with "alleged," as if the woman is not trustworthy. What the fuck is up with that?

Not to split hairs but I think they do this for every court case until there is a concrete verdict, regardless of how obvious it is.

[BeerShaman]

Fuck! I hate people sometimes!

[BeerShaman]

If we had people's justice in a classless society I would propose we punched 'em one each in the face symbolically and then isolated 'em...

[Hiratsuka]

Plus, I've noticed it's a trend to annotate rape cases with "alleged," as if the woman is not trustworthy. What the fuck is up with that?

Innocent until proven guilty applies to every case, and it's not upheld enough. Unfortunately, the accused in capital cases like rape are not protected with anonymity so vengeful people can use it to destroy a man's reputation.

I was once falsey accused of rape. It was a devestating experience even though it didn't go to court because of the sheer lunacy in her narration. I won't say I was violated as bad as someone who was actually raped, but I sure felt like it. Touchy subject since it's hard to prove one way or another if a rape occurs, especially if both parties are intoxicated or high, or if one subject didn't know. (In my case I was the only one who drank, so technically I was raped, heh)

My point? You seem to be presuming they're guilty, basically.

That said, the kid who shared these pics is an idiot. Both because of the child porn charge (which they'll get him on) and because it's part of a criminal investigation. Even if she was just being really promiscuous, he set himself up for jail time.

[Queercommie Girl]

Well.....

You can't censore the reality!

I'm with you Basta, since I too, have recognized a growing trivialization of rape and violence against women around here.

You mean on RevLeft?

Do you have any evidence for this?

[hatzel]

To be honest, I might suggest that, even if this 'alleged' rape were to be proven to be a 'harlot' (sorry!) crying wolf...well, that doesn't make it any better. Why the hell would kids get involved in this kind of stuff, consensually or otherwise? Sure, it's worse if a bunch of guys take a young girl by force, but it's hardly good if they do it with her permission. There's something seriously skew-whiff amongst the youth today, if that's a strong enough word for the problem. And it extends well beyond merely rape, and even beyond all sexuality. What about the stories that crop up every now and then of mobile phone videos of people punching strangers, stabbing rival gang members or setting homeless people on fire. It's disturbing enough that people do these things, but it's even more disturbing that there's a 'market' for the 'evidence', in visual form...I don't see the appeal, really, something I'm sure we'll all agree on...

[gorillafuck]

You mean on RevLeft?

Do you have any evidence for this?

I think Muzk was referring to where she/he lives.

[Quail]

I stole this from my friend's Facebook page, and some other comments are worrying about how the Internet should be policed and whatnot...

Hello?!?! Someone is gang-raped and people take pictures and you don't worry about the state of patriarchy or women's rights amongst youth?!?!

Do you think rape and violence against women is trivialized and almost a joke amongst youth today? I mean, it's really common to hear people say "Oh I got raped by that test" and whatnot, which sort of minimizes the severity of the act.


Plus, I've noticed it's a trend to annotate rape cases with "alleged," as if the woman is not trustworthy. What the fuck is up with that?

Wow, I can't imagine how much that poor woman must be suffering. The rape itself is bad enough, but then having pictures of the assault spread all over the internet? That's some fucked up shit.

I don't really like people using the word rape when it's not in the context of sexual assault. I think it's very insensitive, and I actually think that a lot of people don't realise how common sexual assault is and that actually, there are a lot of people who find the trivialisation of that word quite hurtful.

[Invincible Summer]

Innocent until proven guilty applies to every case, and it's not upheld enough. Unfortunately, the accused in capital cases like rape are not protected with anonymity so vengeful people can use it to destroy a man's reputation.

I was once falsey accused of rape. It was a devestating experience even though it didn't go to court because of the sheer lunacy in her narration. I won't say I was violated as bad as someone who was actually raped, but I sure felt like it. Touchy subject since it's hard to prove one way or another if a rape occurs, especially if both parties are intoxicated or high, or if one subject didn't know. (In my case I was the only one who drank, so technically I was raped, heh)

My point? You seem to be presuming they're guilty, basically.

That said, the kid who shared these pics is an idiot. Both because of the child porn charge (which they'll get him on) and because it's part of a criminal investigation. Even if she was just being really promiscuous, he set himself up for jail time.

Not to split hairs but I think they do this for every court case until there is a concrete verdict, regardless of how obvious it is.

Yes, fair enough about the "alleged" thing.

But it's beside the point. I've noticed quite a few stories similar to this happening within the past couple of years... do you think this has anything to say about current society?

[Admiral Swagmeister G-Funk]

I see a lot of people my age using the term 'rape' in very casual contexts. Do I agree with it? Not in the slightest bit. I believe its down to ignorance towards sexual abuse, and its a real shame because the people who have suffered this abuse are the people that really have trouble trusting society in general.

I can't even begin to imagine the pain and mental torment they have gone through, and I'd also hate to think that they re-live terrible memories every time the word 'rape' is used casually, as if its not a term with deeply disturbing and horrific connotations. How many people that use the term do we think have actually experienced that pain, though? Or even have an idea of the kind of damage rape has done to people's lives? After all, it is a word that is definitely used a lot, mostly out of context, I guess the only thing that could be done is bring about awareness of 'rape', in order to portray it as what it is; a disgusting crime that is a serious manner, not a joke that can be made.

EDIT: That article made me feel sick to my stomach.

[Reznov]

Is there a update to what the girl thinks of this now?

(I cant open that link you posted.)

[hatzel]

Is there a update to what the girl thinks of this now?

(I cant open that link you posted.)

Something tells me she'll be doing her best to stay out of the public spotlight at the moment, be it rape or consensual. Nobody wants to come out straight away telling every Tom, Dick & Harry how they feel after going through such an ordeal.

[Hiero]

To be honest, I might suggest that, even if this 'alleged' rape were to be proven to be a 'harlot' (sorry!) crying wolf...well, that doesn't make it any better. Why the hell would kids get involved in this kind of stuff, consensually or otherwise? Sure, it's worse if a bunch of guys take a young girl by force, but it's hardly good if they do it with her permission. There's something seriously skew-whiff amongst the youth today, if that's a strong enough word for the problem. And it extends well beyond merely rape, and even beyond all sexuality. What about the stories that crop up every now and then of mobile phone videos of people punching strangers, stabbing rival gang members or setting homeless people on fire. It's disturbing enough that people do these things, but it's even more disturbing that there's a 'market' for the 'evidence', in visual form...I don't see the appeal, really, something I'm sure we'll all agree on...

It is not just a youth thing. These sorts of gang bangs have been going on for years. It is a form of "homosociality" or "homoerotic" bonding between men through a female who is an other (not existing withing the groups social circle, or if they are then not too taboo a target like choosen the local "slut"). The gang bang is an act of intimate bonding of males as they watch each other play out one of the highest celeberated acts of masculinity in the West, causual sex with a person who is not close enough to resemble kin.

Male spoting treams like football (Australian) or cricket have been doing these sorts of things for years at all different levels from local clubs to professionals.

These sort of acts should not be read as abhorent external acts, but they have roots within the dominant culture of gender bonding. These acts should be trace back to their roots, which is everyday cultural activities and relationships. This is why the people involved are usually oblivious and why the spectators and the reactions from the public are usually ambigious. They are not sure why these "nice" people would do such a thing. As opposed to the generalist concept of rape, which involved a high level of violence by someone who is long disconnected from society "drugo" "traumatised childhood".

[hatzel]

We should make sure we don't forget that men can be and are raped, too. And I am sure that there have been cases in which women were actively involved in gang rapes as participants, perhaps alongside men, though I don't exactly want to start trying to Google for that, might come across some far from pleasant websites...

If anybody has any news story about female participation in (gang) rape, we might be interested to hear about them. Compare the male- and female-dominated rape.

Quick question...why do we consider rape a male activity? Why aren't female sporting teams doing the same thing, to reference the above example? Or are they?

[counterblast]

Just a small comment on this. If i said 'i could murder a steak and kidney pie' or 'i'm going to slaughter you at snooker', would i be trivialising killing?

Rape is trivialised often, particularly by those who wish to widen the definition of rape to involve things that are not actually rape, e.g. drunken consensual sex or consensual sex that you happen to regret the next day. But i don't think that language has much to do with this.

You're sort of oversimplifying the matter, so I guess I should state the obvious;

Victims of murder are dead.

Survivors of rape are not.

You cannot trigger or trivialize the experiences of a dead person.

[counterblast]

To be honest, I might suggest that, even if this 'alleged' rape were to be proven to be a 'harlot' (sorry!) crying wolf...well, that doesn't make it any better. Why the hell would kids get involved in this kind of stuff, consensually or otherwise? Sure, it's worse if a bunch of guys take a young girl by force, but it's hardly good if they do it with her permission. There's something seriously skew-whiff amongst the youth today, if that's a strong enough word for the problem.

Why? If everyone gives informed consent, I don't really see the problem.

[hatzel]

The fact that pictures emerge, which may not have been consensual, even if the act was, and the fact that one of the potentially willing participants seems to regret or lament being involved suggests to me that all is not well...

Plus I would argue that young people having careless sex, even if consensual, raises problems of diseases, unwanted pregnancy and so on. So it might be a good thing to suggest that people at that kind of age don't get involved in this kind of stuff, from a public health perspective...