A man accused of a crime is presumed innocent of the charges -- in judicial proceedings only. In the real world, a young man's entire life is often destroyed on the basis of nothing more than the accusation of rape by a female. It doesn't matter that the young man claims the so-called rape was nothing more than consensual sex. It doesn't matter how strong his defense is.
In the story below, college football player Jerrard Tarrant was considered a potential starter for Georgia Tech, but all that is on hold because a young woman alleged he raped her and he has been suspended. There are apparently no other witnesses to the alleged rape, and likely no other evidence. It is her word against his.
The shelf-life of a college football player is brief. If the charge isn't cleared up quickly, he may forever lose his chance at stardom. His life surely is in turmoil right now.
When will we, as a society, realize that there is something terribly wrong with a culture that allows any female to claim she's been raped and, before a single fact has been adjudicated, the male's life is unraveled for the world to see? She, of course, retains her anonymity while his humiliation is a national news story. For what other crime do we hand one class of private citizens (generally young women) the unbridled power to destroy the lives of any member of another class of people (e.g., virtually any male, but generally young men)?
Georgia Tech, you can take the claim "seriously" without punishing the young man prior to a determination of guilt. This suspension is punishment for merely being accused. Or are you bowing to political pressures?
The fact is, a female can transmogrify one of the most basic and profound human acts -- the consensual sex act -- into a vile crime merely by characterizing it as such. And the male is presumed guilty pending the outcome of the case.
Why does this not frighten -- and outrage -- many more men?
Georgia Tech player Tarrant charged with rape, suspended from team
ATLANTA — Georgia Tech cornerback Jerrard Tarrant has been charged with rape and has been suspended from the football team.
The alleged victim said she was raped at an on-campus dormitory April 25 and reported the incident to police that morning, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Monday.
Charles Lea, a lawyer representing Tarrant, said his client is not guilty of the charges.
Tarrant, 19, was released Saturday on US$40,000 bail, the newspaper reported. The six-foot-two, 185-pound redshirt freshman from Carrollton, Ga., was considered a potential starter at cornerback.
Tarrant has been suspended indefinitely from the Tech football team pending the outcome of the case, Yellow Jackets coach Paul Johnson said in a statement.
"These charges filed against Jerrard are something that we take very seriously. He has been suspended from the team indefinitely, pending the outcome of the legal proceedings," Johnson said.
Georgia Tech campus police said the arrest report was not available Monday afternoon.
Tarrant was competing with Mario Butler for the spot opposite Jahi Word-Daniels. Tarrant also practised as he fifth back and on special teams.
Lea said Tarrant's side of the case will be presented at the proper time.
"We maintain that any sexual activity that took place was entirely consensual," he said.
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2 comments:
"Why does this not frighten -- and outrage -- many more men? "
Because, for whatever reason, the issue has not yet become personally real for them. Either they haven't heard about it, or else they dimly believe that it "only happens to other people."
What is truly frightening and outrageous, is not merely that it happens, but that the law, and the culture as whole, PERMITS it to happen.
But whichever way you slice it, I believe the solution lies in continued exposure of these kinds of stories, until it gets to such a saturation point that everybody knows, and more importantly, everybody KNOWS that everybody knows. Then it will be impossible any longer to ignore 1400 lb. dead gorilla in the parlor.
That is when the feminists will be squirming on the hot seat, or else belatedly reinventing themselves as champions and good guys on the right said of the issue.
I also don't think most men view themselves as part of a group that is specifically targeted for anything bad or oppressive. Yet this victim has a specific victim, and it's generally male from teens to thirties, sometimes older and once in a while younger. It is a scourge similar to testicular cancer, the way it targets young men. Yet, I agree with you -- men generally think this is something that only happens to other men. I do think Duke lacrosse opened up a lot of eyes -- men saw the injustices, and for the first time in a recent high profile false rape case, the victims looked like most American men.
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