Group Presentation

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU-IdUKbLSg)

This video clip is from the FINA Women's World Championship Water Polo, Gold Medal Match in Rome, Italy (USA vs. Canada). Things get rough when American Elsie Windes hits the goal for the lead, 5-4, then hits Alogbo in the face. (Universal Sports, UniversalSports.com) 


It is especially surprising when female athletes engage in violence during their sport because it is rarely seen since people do not usually associate violence with female athletes but rather with male athletes. Although scholars have argued that female youth sports produce only positive effects in girl's behavior, it is clearly not the case in this situation. Windes may have possibly lost her temper as the commentator mentioned or it could have just been an extra swing of the arm. However, if Windes position and action is carefully analyzed, most people would agree that the blow was intentional. This media clip contradicts the argument that sports elicit positive behavior, but viewers also have to consider the heat of the moment in the sport and the competitive feeling during the match.

The connection between violence and youth sports for both genders is important because in general, female sports and athletes are less publicized in the media than male sports and athletes. The lack of coverage of female sports do not stir up problems up until the point when female sports are suddenly covered more when an act or acts of violence occur. Furthermore, female sports and athletes are rarely seen or noticed in the media unless violence happens. This speaks to the fact that there are indeed less incidents where female athletes are violent compared to male athletes. This increase in coverage may be because the public and the media find violent female athletes shocking or unacceptable and thus, they have to be pointed out. Lastly, as Professor Messner mentioned, men are more likely to be violent because they feel they have to "prove" their masculinity as "stooping down" a level to becoming a little less masculine and little more feminine (being a sissy) is unacceptable and looked down upon. Also in a way to prove their sexual orientation, men tend to be rough with other men to disprove any notion where there may be feelings of interest or care between them.

In the end, the positive impacts of youth sports do outweigh the negative because if all aspects are considered, athletes learn many positive things but few negative things. For instance, athletes learn about teamwork, sportsmanship, friendly competition, knowledge of their sport, and strategy (strategic thinking and thinking ahead) . Conversely, the only negative aspects they take from sports may be violence/aggressiveness and unfriendly competition. And evenso, the negative behavior is not taken up by all athletes that play sports.

Violence in Female Sports (Presentation)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoAs-dhXdqU

Even after the passing of Title IX in 1972, many people were still hesitant to let females play sports with males: “In 1974, two years after the passage of Title IX…Little League Baseball was forced to open its game to girl participants…The creation of Littlle league softball is consequential in terms of the gender regime of the organization” (Messner, 15). Instead of “opening the game” up to girls, they created a whole new game for females—softball. Even today, female and male sports are thought of as categorically different and perceived in different ways. Male sports and athletes get the majority of the coverage in the media, whereas when female athletes are shown, there is less focus on their sport and more on their sexuality. Moreover, it is almost expected—and widely accepted—for males to be violent while playing their sport, whereas violence in female sports is looked down upon and down played in the media.

Scholars have argued that female youth sports produce only positive effects in girls’ behaviors. However, the media clip provided above is contradictory to this assumption because sports—regardless if it’s played by females or males—are usually very intense and elicit high levels of aggression from males and females alike, which ultimately leads to some violence in sports. However, one thing to notice about the violent behavior of the female soccer player in the clip is that her aggression and violence is much more subtle than the violent behaviors seen in male sports.

How females and males express aggression and violence differently in sports is important to think about because it reflects societal gender expectations. In lecture, Professor Messner discussed a variety of reasons as to why males are violent: homophobia & misogyny, competitive career hierarchies, suppression of self-empathy, etc. Thus, due to the fact that society expects males to be strong and dominant, openly violent behavior seen in male sports are more acceptable than they are in female sports. Since females are not expected to behave in the same ways as males, the violent behaviors in female sports are much subtle and hidden. However, although violence in all youth sports is important to consider, this one negative aspect is outweighed by all of the positive aspects of youth sports, such as getting exercise, making friends, and keeping kids off the streets.

Richmond High Rape Response

In response to the Richmond High School rape article, I found it to be shocking that people would actually just stand around a situation like that and not try to do anything to help. Sure, it might be unsafe to try to intervene physically, but more people could have at least shown her the respect not to gawk at the horrible scene that was occuring. As stated in the article, I believe that a lot of this lack of emotion or caring about women stems from the way that women are portrayed in the media today. If all we see are images of women wearing revealing clothes and engaging in promiscuous behavior, it becomes hard to separate fiction from reality. Soem people might even come to believe that real-life girls and women actually enjoy being raped and abused. However, this indoctrination still doesn't give the onlookers any excuse for allowing such a callous rape to continue. In this case, when you really think about it, the bystanders are almost as much to blame for the rape as the rapists themselves. By not doing anything to stop it and even taking part in filming it and egging it on, they ended up encouraging it to continue.

On a larger scale, if we all just sit back and allow things like this to go on, it just continues to foster a culture in which rape and abuse become normalized and seen as "okay". In general, I believe that we don't neccessarily have to totally change or sanitize the images of women in the media- there's nothing essentially wrong with images of beautiful or sexy women. Even displaying images of promiscuity or sexual invitation is okay. They'r all realities of life. However, these images need to be diluted by more images of normal, everyday women so that people can better recognize the line between fiction and reality.

Response to rape cases

In response to the Kobe Bryant case I agree that both are to blame, Kobe for being a married man and still being willing to engage in such a relationship, and Katelyn for not having stopped Kobe when things went too far. But I disagree with the fact that as an all star athlete he would use this situation to brag to his teammates. Being one of the best, if not the best, player in the NBA is enough proof of masculinity in society today therefore there is no need to push the point any further. And, having a family, doing such a thing would not bring as much respect from his teammates, as say a single all-star athlete would get. If anything he would be looked down upon for cheating on his wife. Also, many have agreed that Kobe's wife is good looking and that she is a catch. Why then would he need to further his masculinity by getting other women. I feel that it was simply a moment of passion which he could not help but get overcome by. This also applies to Katelyn.
The Polanski case where Polanski was accused of raping a thirteen year old girl whom he took pictures of. In this case no matter what Roman Polanski pleads he took advantage of a minor. So no matter if she for some reason consented it is still considered rape. And the fact that he could escape to France without punishment is confusing. The confusing part of it is why France would not extradite him back to the U.S.
In the Greg Haidl case where a 17 year old girl was raped by two 17 year old boys it was argued that the father, Greg, was to blame because he allowed drinking in his house by minors. Although he did although drinking it was the boys who committed the crime. It may seem cruel to say that the girl also shares in part some of the blame because she choose to drink that night. Also, the event seems to not have affected her as deeply if she was willing to go out and have sex not long after the crime. All in all the blame cannot be placed fully on one party, the boys, the father, or the girl. All are accountable for having engaged in either having alcohol in their place or in their bodies. But the boys do deserve punishment for their crime.

2 of the Rape Cases

With respect to the Richmond case, there is no way to avoid the fact that a crime was committed. However, with respects to where the blame should be placed, it is absolutely absurd that people would even begin to think to blame the girl that was the victim due to the fact that she had been consuming alcohol. Yes, this is illegal and yes, her consuming alcohol would grant her some sort of punishment with authorities. But there is no way one can deem it fair that she got what she deserved and the situation was her fault simply due to her consumption of alcohol. I find it twisted that people would even attempt to use facts in order to reassign the blame of a situation. In the Greg Haidl case, even though I personally feel that this case could be looked at in two ways. Even though the girl had consented to sex prior with these boys, that does not mean that the rape was justified. WHen it comes to cases of rape, people must be very objective and examine the facts as cases such as these where the rapist is a previous sexual partner can get very messy and obscure. We must know where to draw the line so rapes don't become casual and things that are not rape start to be considered rape.

A very common theme for all of the rape cases is that the woman is at fault when clearly, the men were the ones committing the crime. Sure, the women could've been more careful by not getting themselves drunk to the point where they can't think as clearly, but in the end, it's the men who choose to have sexual intercourse when they surely know that the women aren't in a normal state of mind to make the decision to oppose. We also talked about rape in writing 140 on college campuses and how a large number of college boys wouldn't stop sexual intercourse if girls asked them to. Even if the girls aren't in the right state of mind because of drinking, it's the mens' faults for committing the act.

Richmond High Rape Case

To me the most shocking and disturbing part of this case is that people watched. In other gang rape cases there have been audience members, like the one Messner talked about in lecture but they were more involved in the rape. In this case there were other students watching and standing by and not doing anything about the situation. They were even recording parts of it on their phones. It is mind blowing to me that anyone could sit by and watch this happen and not do anything about it! I just don't understand, in particular how any female could stand by and watch a fellow female be raped by a group of men. Were they entertained? scared? I have no idea. I can't comprehend it. I live up in the bay area so I know the stereotypes about Richmond and how scary, dangerous, and impoverished it is. I went home this weekend and my mom brought up the case. She got together a bunch of cards, signed by students in her high school classes in San Jose and sent them to her along with a flowers from my mother. I found this so intersting since we had just talked about it in class a few days before. We also discussed how there must "always be someone to blame" and this is not always the perpetrator. In this case I think society as a whole is blaming the society and culture of Richmond. One of the issues was lack of security cameras etc. These things aren't always present in a school in an area like Richmond. I think that in the area of Richmond criminal behavior has become a normal thing and so overwhelming that all crimes cannot be prosecuted. This fosters an environment where people, these boys in particular, think it's acceptable to commit crime like this because they think they won't get caught.

Who to blame?

In the rape case involving Greg Haidl, I feel he should be the one blamed. I don't understand how he can take advantage of another person and simply expect his father to bail him out of trouble. Yes, his father is partly to blame because he should have been the responsible adult in the picture who doesn't allow his child to get away with everything, but Greg is old enough to understand that there are consequences to be paid when you commit a crime. He did not have to have learned that from his father. There are plenty of people out there who also did not have exemplary parents, yet not all of those people go about their days committing crimes and blaming it on their poor upbringing. His father's failed attempts at portraying the victim as a promiscuous girl and his son as an innocent young boy simply show how immature and irresponsible he is, especially knowing that he was the Orange County Assistant Sheriff. His immaturity should not be the basis for the rape. Having had an extremely lenient father who bailed him out for "minor" offenses, does not justify Greg's need to commit rape. Yes, he grew up with bad parenting, but not all parents are perfect, and not all kids with bad parents rape. I just don't understand how Greg won't take any responsibility for his actions. Whether the girl had consensual sex the night before, and showed up intoxicated the night of the rape or not, it does not justify the way in which Greg and the other guys treated her.

Response to the 4 rape cases

In class we talked about four highly publicized rape cases. In each case, there seemed to be a trend of the media placing blame in different directions than toward the accused or even the convicted rapists.

In the recent Richmond High School rape case, a fifteen year old female student was sexually assaulted outside of a homecoming dance. She had drank and there were bystanders watching, yet the crime was still committed. Her group of perpetrators was mostly Hispanic and within five years of her age range. Although this serious crime stirred up a lot of controversy in the media, the blame was not necessarily focused on the accused criminals. A lot of the focus was placed on the neighborhood of Richmond, which has generally had a high crime rate and is inhabited by the lower class. The culture of Richmond and its "ghetto" standards became a central focus the media portrayed for the case. Yes, the neighborhood could use some improvements, but culture cannot force a group of boys to sexually assault a young girl.

In the Greg Haidl case, three 17 year old boys raped a 17 year old girl while she was intoxicated. The incident occurred at the Haidl household, while the parents were there. This crime caused a lot of media coverage because Don Haidl, the father, was involved in politics and the family was very wealthy and involved in the Newport Beach community. The teenage boys committed the crime, but the blame was again not placed on them as much as the focus was on Don Haidl, the father, and also the girl who was assaulted. The father was looked down upon for allowing drinking to occur at his home and not really know that a rape was occurring so closeby. The victim was also looked down upon because of her decisions to drink and also because she had sex not long after the incident. Although both of these people may have made some type of mistake, the boys were the ones who actually committed the crime.

In the Kobe Bryant case, the famous basketball player allegedly raped a hotel employee who was 4 years his junior. The women consented to some amount of the acts, but then refused consent later. After the media found out, a lot of the focus went towards the victim, who was later discovered to have a lot of mental issues and even a suicide attempt in her history. Bryant was already a sports hero at the time, and many people did not want to believe that the crime was entirely his fault. It may not have been, but the media placed so much blame on the accuser that it became more of an investigation into her past and her issues than into the actual act of the rape.

In the Roman Polanski case, more blame was placed on the accused than in the other cases, but the media still focused on other aspects outside of the victim and the perpetrator. Polanski was a well-known director at the time and the victim was a thirteen year old model. He took photos of her and then that led to rape in which the victim was drinking champagne and had taken qualludes. A lot of the focus soon turned to the model culture, which typically allows very young girls to grow up much more quickly than they normally would. The mother also was given some of the blame by the media because she allowed her daughter to participate in such activities involved in the modeling culture.

Repsonse to Rape Cases

The Richmond High School case in particular shocked me because there were so many bystanders that did nothing, and it took place on school grounds. I suppose it was an example of the bystander effect. I can hardly believe that it was allowed to take place on school grounds during a school sponsored event. The school should have had better security on watch. I feel that a school should be responsible for keeping it's student population safe, especially at school sponsored events.

The Greg Haidl case disheartened me because even though the victim had been known to be promiscuous with the other men, she still was not in a position to give consent at the time the rape happened. Previously having sex with someone should not be a premise for consent. I believe that sex should happen between two consenting persons each and every time they have sex. Although it is more likely that two people in a committed relationship who are sexually active (ex. marriage) will give consent, it should still be given each and every time they take part in a sexual act. Is a wife not considered raped if her husband takes advantage of her and she does not give consent?
In the Kobe Bryant case, Kobe's position in society leaves him at blame, especially because he is married. Also, the fact that the victim was much younger than him and that she had schizophrenia makes it appear as though Kobe really was taking advantage of her. The issue of withdrawn consent is also important, because a person can choose to withdraw their consent.
The Roman Polanski case was upsetting because he not only gave the girl drugs, but she was a minor. Her mother was blamed because she allowed her daughter spend time with him, and the lack of her father's presence was also put to blame. However, there are plenty of girls who live with both of their parents who engage in promiscuous activities just as there are plenty of girls who live with their mothers and do not engage in promiscuous activities.

I define rape as any non-consensual sexual acts committed among people. It should not happen in any circumstances. I also believe that women should be aware of the circumstances they are in, especially if they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Richmond High Rape

I would like to focus on the Richmond High School rape case. In the case Four teenagers face potential life sentences in connection with the gang rape of a 15-year-old girl outside her homecoming dance at Richmond High School. I found it very surprising that the 16-year-old also has been charged with robbery. To see the incident occur after a dance was the biggest surprise, I expected the men and women in the immediate area to help the women in distress, but this clearly did not happen. One main point of the story was the fact that the victim drank a large amount of brandy in a short period of time while socializing, police said, then collapsed. Someone dragged her to a bench, where several people stripped her, beat her, stole her jewelry and other belongings, and raped her.
The school board had an immediate response towards the event. West Contra Costa school board's safety subcommittee hosted a meeting Wednesday night following the event in the high school auditorium, where about 100 community members vented over the rape, particularly focusing on the lack of security cameras and fencing around the campus. The district has drawn fire over the on-campus assault and its perceived sluggishness to add long-promised safety features to Richmond High.
The case was clearly a gang rape. A gang rape, or mass rape, occurs when a group of people participate in the rape of a single victim. Rape involving at least two or more perpetrators is widely reported to occur in many parts of the world. Systematic information on the extent of the problem, however, is scant. Gang rapes involved more alcohol and drug use, night attacks and severe sexual assault outcomes and less victim resistance and fewer weapons than individual rapes. Another study found that group sexual assaults were more violent and had greater resistance from the victim than individual sexual assaults and that victims of group sexual assaults were more likely to seek crisis and police services, to contemplate suicide and seek therapy than those involved in individual assaults. As such was the case in this story.
Overall I am disappointed that people my age would commit such acts and the best society can do as a whole is learn from the event.

Haidl Case

The case that I would like to focus on is that of Greg Haidl, who was released from prison in 2008 after serving a 6 year sentence. Although many people would blame Greg’s father, Don Haidl, it is important to note that during the case Greg was tried as an adult. He was technically a minor at the time, but in the eyes of society he was old enough to know the difference between right and wrong. I do believe that a certain amount of blame falls on Don Haidl since he was in the house at the time of the attack and allowed Greg and his friends to drink. However, there is enough blame to be passed around. Greg Haidl was obviously in the wrong for not only committing the sexual crime, but having the audacity (and stupidity) to record the assault on camera. The victim also incurred a share of the blame in the media coverage due to her sexual promiscuity, but no matter how promiscuous the victim was, it does not justify the nature of the sexual assault. It is also worth mentioning that Don Haidl (the Assistant-Sheriff at the time) was arrested for federal tax charges, and has since admitted that he gave cash and gifts to Michael Carona (the Sheriff) in exchange for the role of Assistant-Sheriff. Don Haidl claimed that he did this in hopes of getting a lighter sentence for his son. This shows that perhaps Greg’s criminal behavior can be attributed to a morally corrupt upbringing.
After being released from jail, Haidl and the other perpetrators attempted to appeal their convictions on the ground that the girl was actually a willing participant in the sexual acts. They are also appealing that if the court does not overturn the conviction, that at least the court should lift the ban that they register as sexual offenders for the rest of their lives. I have a split opinion on this issue because I believe that requiring people to register as sex offenders puts a stigma on them for the rest of their lives. There are people that reform as a result of spending time in prison, and I believe that registering as sex offenders does not allow these people to move on with their lives.

Richmond High School rape

When I first read the article about the rape case of Richmond High School, I do feel shocked about how come a rape could happen at school? It is quite ridiculous for me that a school is supposed to be a safe place to let student study and play with, instead of a crime place to let boys raped a girl. After reading some articles and some comments from the others, they mentioned about who should to blame for this case, the girl herself, the boys, the bystanders, or the community? I do think that the girl should not be blame for it, as she is having sex unwillingly by saying "no" already. The boys, of course, they should be blame for doing this. They were high school students, and they should know what to do. Maybe someone would blame for the education for the boys, surely, this is one of the problems that they did not have enough concepts about the crime of raping a girl; however, they still had to be responsible for what they have done. The bystanders, I do think that they should also be blamed for becasue though they did nothing to the girl, they did not help her either. They could have prevented this happen, but they did not. That's why I think they should be blamed for, too. In addtion, the community did not provide a safe place for students, maybe there was not enough security? The community should pay more attention to the school surrounding expecailly having party or something similar at night. Someone did mentioned about the culture of american and lack of repect to women, that was also a problem that people would blame for, still, this affect the point of view of the children through and thus affecting what they did.

A lot of times, some society and the public in general blame the girl since she put herself into that situation for being drunk. If she was sober, then she might realize what she had put herself into earlier and reduce the chance of getting raped. I think however, that this is an attempt to excuse the behavior of the rapist and the people who stood by and let it happen. The victim is never at fault in the rape situation. Moreover, the city of Richmond (the environment) also gets blame as one of the main causes of rape. Since rape happens frequently and the crime rate is high in Richmond, it leads to the perspective that it is fine to conduct rape since it happens all the time. Culture affects child rearing process and strongly influence the way the boys think since childhood. I think that in Greg Haidl’s case of the 17 year olds who raped the 17year old girl, while there is some controversy because she had consensual sex the previous night and admitted to having sex with other people after rape, the blame is still on the rapists as opposed to the victim. Though she may have had clouded judgement that night and done other things that she regretted, she was videotaped clearly saying no to the rapists and they continued. Although society can push some of the blame off onto the girl and her sexual promiscuity, I think that it is important to remember that the individuals committing these crimes make the choice to do it and should not rely on others to take responsibility for their own actions.

4 rape cases

I am going to go through the four rape cases we discussed last week in section and give my personal opinions on all of them. The first one, the one from Richmond just flat out disgusts me. The fact that this could happen and be observed by so many people and no one made an attempt to stop it is outrageous. I agree with the media that the school is to blame, but there are more people at fault than just the school system. Even though Richmond is a low socio-economic place, that is no excuse for the conduct of their behavior. No matter how poor of a place a person is from, they are still expected to have values and I believe that all these kids had none. I would expect for someone to do something to stop this scene and I think that this speaks poorly of humans in general. The second case I want to talk about is the one with the 13 year old girl who was drugged and then taken advantage of. The thing that I find most striking about this is that Whoopie Goldberg stated this was "not rape rape." What the fuck!? He drugged her and then had sex with her. Yes, it wasn't the stereotypical rape myth of a man jumping out from the bushes, but in my opinion this is about as "rape rape" as it gets. The fact that people were arguing that it was less of an offense because she was not a virgin was also disturbing to me because that has no significance to whather it was a rape or not. Lets look at the facts, a 40(ish) yearold man drugs a 13 year old girl and has sex with her. Rape, lock him up. The third case I want to talk about is the 3 boys from Orange County and the girl. I believe that this one is rape and the boys should be punished for it, but not to the extent that the defendants in the previous two cases should be charged. I think this case is interesting because there are so many people at fault. I think the defendents are at fault, as well as the victim, as well as the defendants parents, and even the the victims parents. When it comes to Kobe, I don't even know what to think. I am a huge lakers fan so I choose to believe that he is innocent because I don't want to root for a rapist. Also the victim does not seem credible at all. That case is so confusing, and when it comes down to it I have watched countless interviews with Kobe and see the way he interacts with his wife and kids, that I just can't see him doing it.

Richmond High Rape Case

The Richmond High rape case is disturbing on various different levels. First off, the rape happened during a high school homecoming dance on school property. Why is there not greater enforcement of teens at the school? Reports show that over 20 people were involved in the rape (10 watched and 10 participated) of this 15-year-old high school girl. The girl was beat, stripped, then gang raped, lasting over 2 ½ hours. It is understandable to have parents worry about what extracurricular activities their children get into, knowing that their children are safe at school. But now, do parents have to worry about their kids getting beat and raped on school grounds? Secondly, the victim and the accusers were claimed to have been under the influence of alcohol. So, not only did the actual rape take place on campus, but alcohol was consumed by minors on campus. There has to be better supervision of students at school dances during and after school. In addition, the victim herself was intoxicated to the point where she passed out on a nearby bench. I feel that the school, the boys who raped the girl, and those who watched and didn’t report the situation to the authorities are to blame. There is no excuse for rape, and there is definitely no excuse for a rape done on a high school campus.

response to discussion in class

First of all, I think that rape is a very difficult subject to dissect. Because of this difficulty it is more reasonable to look at each case unique unto itself, because the circumstances and situations in which the rapes occur are the basis for which we must categorize it as rape or not and also to place blame on the “correct” person. It is very difficult to come to certain conclusions because of the ambiguity surrounding each rape case.
In the Richmond High School Rape Case, the blame was placed primarily on the community and school for fostering an environment that was prone to these kinds of acts. I do believe that the environment in which the boys who committed the gang rape did factor into their behavior, but I think this shouldn’t exempt the boys from punishment. The stereotypical “culture of Richmond” has an impact on each of the residents, but it is up to those residents and the people to move to change this “bad reputation.” While many efforts have been taken to improve the “culture,” these kinds of occurances deeply sadden me that there are people who are essentially making efforts to maintain the “culture” they have become so acclimated to. No one should be fearful at school and creating this fear only adds to the negativity surrounding Richmond, an effect those boys should both be ashamed of and punished for. In this case, it was clearly a vicious rape, a crime that is disgusting and
In the Greg Haidl case, the blame was not so decisive, it is a case filled with many different factors that are used to try to take the blame off of the boys and place it on the victim. However, the girl is just that: a victim. Sure she was promiscuous and drinking, but that doesn’t give the boys the right to rape and assault her. Also, despite the situation made possible by the parents, ultimately it was the boy’s decisions and actions that physically and emotionally hurt the female. Rape isn’t black and white, but doesn’t exempt those who commit it from blame.
In the Roman Polanski case was gross. I’m sorry but my own moral compass leads me to the conclusion that the massive age difference between the two is just wrong. The girl was much too young to realize what she was doing and how it would affect her. Sure she was a model, but she was subjected to such a different world where she was encouraged to be sexualized and mature, when she wasn’t of age to be this way. There are reasons why there are minor laws, to protect those too immature of making bad decisions. I’m quite interested in the mother of the girl, I would be very disappointed in my mother if she exploited me for her own personal gain. I don’t think that I agree with Polanski being extensively punished, but I do believe that he is to blame: he is older, he should have known better, bottom line.

Rape Cases

All four of these rape cases, as with any, are disturbing in their own ways. Two of them in particular, the Richmond High School Homecoming Dance and the Greg Haidl rape cases, are especially troubling in that the females raped were intoxicated, the males that performed the act were older, the rapes occurred in unexpected places, and there were other figures in or around the scene that could have prevented it from happening.
First, the Richmond case is upsetting in that while the female victim was being raped by five older males on school grounds, the witnesses watching simply caught the act on camera without actively getting involved and stopping the violence from occurring. Most parents assume that at school dances their children will be watched over and protected from such events. It’s surprising and unsettling that something like this can happen at such a public school event. Not only are the males involved to blame, but so are the school and the bystanders witnessing the event taking place. The setting of the incident is also something to consider, since its reputation is known for being bad.
However, rapes can happen anywhere, which is proven with the Greg Haidl rape case in which a 16 year old female is raped by three males in a wealthy Orange County city. The rape occurred at the Haidl’s household, where the parents of Greg Haidl felt it was safer for the children to drink alcohol there than anywhere else. As the rape took place downstairs, the Haidl parents were up in a different part of the house. Their consent in allowing their son and his friends to drink most likely played a large part in contributing to the performance of the rape. They could have easily said no to their son drinking, or have been present to make sure that nobody was getting hurt. A typical high school teenage house party in which the parents are home is not a place where other teenage parents should be worried about their children being hurt at. Though the rape occurred in a wealthy community, it is not ever guaranteed that all children will be safe.
Violence occurs in everyday situations. There’s no real assurance in the safety of a place based on the community or the people watching over it. Anything can happen anywhere.

Rape Cases

The notion that rape is not the woman’s fault is commonly cited. Women who have been raped are repeatedly told that it was the rapist’s responsibility and not her own. Yet, in the four rape cases that we discussed, two of the victims are blamed and the rapists themselves receive very little culpability. In the Greg Haidl case, the victim was a young seventeen-year-old. She is not even considered an adult, yet many consider the rape to be her fault because she acted “promiscuously.” Because she was a female who had engaged in sexual activities prior to the rape, many do not entirely believe that she was actually raped. The lack of consent is negated by the fact that she was sexually active and consequently perceived as a slut. Similarly, in the Kobe Bryant case, the victim was accused of having sex immediately after the rape. This accusation implies that the woman was loose and willing to have sex with anyone, thus calling into question the issue of consent.

The fact that the women – the victims who were put in situations that they objected to – receive the blame is unfair. The females’ sexual history is called into question and becomes a factor in these cases, while the male rapists’ sexual records are entirely ignored. The media does not focus on whether the men had sex right before or after these rapes, yet that seems more relevant than the females’ history. If the men were sleeping with many women at the time, it would seem more likely that the men are used to or expect consent. Thus, they may have not fully belief the lack of consent when it was received, adding a different aspect to the case. However, none of this is addressed. Instead, the female victims are analyzed, and their actions are scrutinized. While they should be receiving care for their traumatizing rape, these women are inflicted with insults and blame. The double standard for the way men and women are treated should change.

Richmond High School Rape Case

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2357466/richmond_high_school_gang_rape_case.html?cat=9

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/29/california.rape.victim.friend/index.html

Perhaps the most significant part of the Richmond High School rape case is the setting in which it took place. A high school campus is an area many take for granted as a safe and rape-free zone. The image of a teenage girl getting gang raped on campus is something hard for many to comprehend due to the perceived innocence and naivety of a high school student.

When looking at the media's response to the event, the same shock and emphasis on the high school setting are the main parts of various articles. For example, CNN's coverage on the case starts on a graphic image of a high school dance ending in a violent scene of rape. The article then continues to blame the local area for not taking the initiative to keep its schools safe. Such an accusation is questionable because the first and foremost way of preventing rape has to do with the morals and childhood of the victims. Rather than blaming a school district for not stepping in or preventing the boys from coming into the high school venue, the real problem should be the minds of the teenagers who though it would be okay to film and participate in a gang rape at such a young age.

Response to the Rape Cases

Based on the four cases, all the victims are relatively young and under 21. The youngest one is even 13. And the victims are also low economic background however,the accusers can apply to all different kinds of economic background. I was really shocked for the richmond high school rape case: 1st because I am from North Cal and it reminds me the Oakland's situation. 2. It happened at school and I am wondering how come there were nobody stop it. 3. Videotaping with cellphones make it even worse.

I am wondering, only one of them above 21, how come they drunk? If they drunk, how did they get into school? There must be somebody patroing campus.

As for the media, it definitely should blame the school and their parents. Both of the two big control device did not give enough attention to those children.
http://www.examiner.com/x-28599-Crime--Media-Examiner~y2009m11d9-Community-supports-gang-rape-victim-in-Richmond

This is the lastest news for Richmond Highschool Homedance gang rape. The media also focuses on the community to blame. I hope it will help improve the safety of the community later on.

1. Richmond High School ;15 /21-15yr old victim white; primarily Hispanic; socioeconomic background ; drunk ; videotaping with cell phones;
→ editorial blaming: school, parents and culture of Richmond

Blog assignment

Richmond High School Rape

I agree to Jane Ho. In this case, we should not blame the community of Richmond, or boys who are responsible for the crime; the article addresses the blame of the heinous act on the American culture and its lack of respect for women. There is a open mind in American culture, which lead to the boys do not really think about is this correct or not since they were small. They are just follow elderly or some older friends to do what they have done. Then they think this is cool, and just follow without thinking. However, this is totally wrong. They should think of the result instead of just following others behavior. All these should blamed on American culture, the only solution that I think that is workable is improve the education in this level, which teaching and educating people when they were students

Roman Polanski Rape Case

In this case, there is a little girl who is 13 year old was raped by a man. This is unreliable to me. Age no doubt is the main factor in this case. Sine the little girl is just 13 years old, it is a crime having sex with a children. I cannot forgive those people who rape the lovely kids. The crown man should think of the girl’s future. The rape process might affect the little girl mind in the future. Besides age, I agree to other classmates that gender is also a important issue in this case. This is crystal clear like that man always dormice during a sexual intersection. Therefore, I think the man should keep clear that have sex with a little girl is a totally unforgivable issue

Response to the Several Rape Cases Discussed in Section

Although each of the four instances, characterized as the Richmond High School, the Haidl, Kobe Bryant, and Roman Polanski Rapes, were each unique in their own ways, they all involved forcing female victims to engage in sexual intercourse without their consent and against their will. However, in regards to the Kobe Bryant and Roman Polanski Rapes, which were highly politicized incidents that involved celebrities, I find that the male perpetrators (Bryant and Polanski) have been relatively pardoned because of their status within the community. For Bryant, a settlement was reached and the sexual assault charge was dismissed. If they were any other individuals, those without such fame and legal support, the outcome would have concluded differently in my opinion.

On the other hand, I believe that the (Gregory) Haidl and Richmond High School Gang-Rapes were treated much differently. On July 5, 2002, in Orange County, California, the Haidl Gang-Rape occurred in which three 17-year-old males, Gregory Haidl, Kyle Nachreiner, and Keith Spann, videotaped themselves engaging in sexual intercourse with a 16-year-old girl who is referred to as “Jane Doe.” Oddly enough, the rape took place in Haidl’s parents’ home, specifically, in the garage meanwhile his parents were in another part of the home. They even granted the boys permission to consume alcohol, as they allegedly believed it was safer if they were to drink in the home. Haidl’s father, Don, was an assistant sheriff in the Orange County Police Department and when the rape came to light, it was rather shocking and controversial within the wealthy community. Jane Doe was accused of having consensual sex with all three of the 17-year old male perpetrators the very night before. Another factor was that her blood alcohol level was between 2.6 and 3.0 and she was possibly dosed with a date-rape drug, GHB. Aside from her impaired judgment, the primary focus was the videotaping of her rape by Gregory Haidl. Eventually and surprisingly, the boys were not actually accused of rape but solely sexual penetration. After serving about half of a six-year sentence, Gregory Haidl, commonly known as the main perpetrator, was released from prison in 2008, only about a year ago. Similar to the Haidl Rape, a gang-rape took place in which as many as five males raped, as well as beat, a fellow female student following their high-school homecoming. Likewise, she was intoxicated, however, unlike the Haidl case, there were witnesses, potentially twenty witnesses who videotaped the incident yet refused to disclose significant information to police. Because the case is pending, she shall have to see if the outcome will prove harsher in comparison to the Haidl case in which the main perpetrator had relatively high regard because of his family’s position in Orange County.

Response to the Richmond High Rape

I have been following the Richmond High School rape case in the papers for the past few weeks, and I agree with Swathi in that it is astonishing that no blame has been placed on the bystanders. While clearly they shouldn't shoulder all the blame, it is absurd to let them completely off the hook. While this authorities are passing this off as a case of the "bystander effect", I don't believe that should be a legitimate excuse for not helping the girl. Many people are blaming the community for not being safe enough and for allowing these things to happen, but as high school students these bystanders had to know the difference between right and wrong, and rape is very clearly a wrong. Even though the California Child Protection Act only covers children up to the age of 14, these bystanders should not go unpunished. Almost everyone that the media has interviewed at the school has said that they would have stepped up and done something if they had witnessed this horrible crime, and yet in the crowd that gathered there wasn't one person that said anything for over two hours. Is this then a problem with our morality? I think everyone would like to believe that they would stop this attack if they came upon it, and that anyone who wouldn't has something seriously wrong with them. But all of these bystanders can't be horrible people, can they? I understand that peer pressure played a role in their silence, but there must be a point where peer pressure becomes irrelevant. I hope that these bystanders are punished in some way so that what they did does not become an acceptable act.

Response to Rape Articles

I was shocked by the amount of personal information included about the rape victims in all of these cases. Where is the line of privacy drawn? I do not think it is the public's business whether the victim had previous sexual partners (as in the Polanski case). Whether or not a girl is generally willing have sex does not make it any less meaningful that someone forced her to do something against her consent. Although some of these victims have no doubt made other questionable sexual decisions, they still have the right to give consent, and in these rape cases, did not give their consent.
I also think it is interesting how two of these cases include a victim and a rapist who would not be seen as a typical couple, while the other two cases present more realistic couples. In the Polanski case, the girl was many years his minor. In the Bryant case, the girl was a different class and race. However, the other two cases occurred between high schoolers. It is interesting to me that the Polanski and Bryant cases seem to have less blame placed on the rapist - even though the men in these cases were older and more mature, and targeted victims who they would not normally want to be publicly involved with. Although the other two cases place a lot of blame on the surroundings and the families, they do not attempt to excuse the rapists behavior as much as many people attempt to excuse Bryant and Polanski.

Rape Victim vs. Abusers

First of all, I think that this is one of the most interesting discussion I have ever had. I am very interested to know how we can observe the rape situation through different angles and how the environment is an important factor that might also serve as one of the causes of the abuse. It is also good to know that the theory of "intersectionality" discussed in class is in play here to better and fully understand the rape cases.

Richmond High School Homecoming Rape

I agree with Ms. Swensson that in this rape case, the school, witnesses, the drunk girl, and the city of Richmond can also be put to blame aside from the boys who actually conducted the abuse. For school, it was done in school property and it may have been prevented if the security of the school is tighter. The school might also seem like it failed to educate the young boys about rape, sex, and how to treat a female. For the witnesses, according to Professor Messner's "Dynamics of the Athletic Male Peer Group" are "wannabe boys and men who actively applaud and support the words and practices of the leaders." The witnesses are also in blame and involved in the rape since they did not report the situation to the authorities and they videotaped, laughed, and witness the whole scene. This also explain what Professor Messner explain as the "Culture of silence among peers", which is the same like the 6 boys who left the rape situation but remain silent and did not report to the authorities in the rape case that Professor Messner told in class. Furthermore, some people can also blame the girl since she put herself into that situation for being drunk. If she was sober, then she might realize what she had put herself into earlier and reduce the chance of getting raped. Moreover, the city of Richmond (the environment) is also one of the main cause of rape. Since rape happens frequently and the crime rate is high in Richmond, it leads to the perspective that it is fine to conduct rape since it happens all the time. Rape is being normalized in this culture. Culture affects child rearing process and strongly influence the way the boys think since childhood. In addition, media is also normalizing rape sometimes and affect the way people think about treating female as sexual objects as cool. For example, the video played in class where music videos often portrays women as sexual objects and these man who treated them like that are considered cool. This leads to a lot of sexual harassments that happen in public, as shown in the video. Therefore, media and culture of the city of Richmond can play as an influential cause of the rape.

Roman Polanski's Rape Case (comment to Amanda Winarko's post)

It is interesting to see the rape case as an intersectional problem involving age, gender, and class. By understanding each of these intersections, it is easy to see that Roman Polanski is not the only one at fault. I also want to point out the way Whoopi Goldberg said that "Rape is not rape when there is no violence." I am not quite sure what that means but from what I get is that she thinks the Roman Polanski's rape case is not an actual rape since there is no violence involved and the girl is not injured. The girl seems like she know what she had put herself into, but she keep on letting Polanski to keep on pushing to the higher level, leading to the sexual intercourse, until the last minute by just saying a mere "no". In this case, it is too late to say no and it may seem that she wanted to have sex with Polanski and no rape is done.

*There is one thing in common out of all of the four rape cases, which is there is only 1 victim of rape while there can be more than 1 abusers. Why in most rape cases there is only 1 victim?

Allison O'Callaghan Kobe Bryant

After looking into the Kobe Bryant case more seriously I have seen it in a new perspective. At first, I thought that it was not entirely Kobe's fault because he was an NBA athlete and the majority of those athletes can get with women and he forced her into doing things that she did not wish. It was ridiculous what he asked her to do, and that is completely disrespectful to any woman. Kobe Bryant has been in so many situations in his life that would show him the proper way to act and respect a woman. Grant it, he could probably get with any girl that he wanted, but that does not mean that he should. Bryant knows his limits and he has a family. The culture of athletics does tamper with the thoughts of relationships however. Athletes feel pressure that they must have women, or at least be sexually active to fit in. And, in turn, girls like athletes because they are socially acceptable. Just like Professor Messner said, when he was younger on his basketball team he was ridiculed for not being with a girl and he felt pressure to get with a girl. I can also see Kobe's case in this as well. Kobe Bryant probably flirted with Katelyn Faber to the point where she wanted to be with him that night. Most believe that it would be extremely difficult to say no to Kobe Bryant. Katelyn also admitted that it was consensual and then Kobe Bryant pushed the line. The girl was not a virgin however, so she knew how this process works. She could have stopped earlier and she could have removed herself from that situation all together. This is both the fault of Kobe and Katelyn. When you get put into situations like that, you put yourself at risk.

Section Discussion

Class Discussion

Richmond High School Rape Case

I don't understand how this type of thing can happen on school grounds. I can agree with the media in laying partial blame on the school because they should have been keeping a closer eye on the boys and also should have been stricter in letting in intoxicated people. I don't know, however, if I can blame the parents equally because the media doesn't really know how they raised their children. I'm positive they did not teach them to be rapists; they could have been trying really hard to steer their sons in the right direction but were undermined by the "culture of Richmond" as we discussed in class. However, I feel tension in not bringing up the part the boys played themselves because it's difficult to generalize a type of culture on an area and apply it to each individual person as if it were an excuse or justification to committ crime.

Greg Haidl Rape Case

This was a preventable case for sure. If the parents hadn't been so irresponsible and given the teenagers alcohol, it would not have occured; at least not in their roof. Even if it were okay to give them alcohol underaged, they should have at least supervised them and know what was going on in the same house. Greg Haidl's father assumes much of the blame I'm placing on the peretrator because he is an example of taking advantage of the power one is given in a career and he sets the same example for his son Greg. He should not have helped his son because that is illegal one, and also because Greg just didn't learn that his actions were not acceptable and I can't believe he went out and committed statitory rape afterward. Although the media placed a lot of blame on the girls' actions before and after the incident, the visual evidence of her being unconscious should have been enough to undermine her actions. This case made me the angriest out of all the ones we discussed.

Roman Polanski Rape Case

This case is disgusting. How could a grown man be interested in a thirteen year old girl and where was her mother. Her mother should not have allowed her daughter such liberties, especially since she was a model already and the modeling industry is not known for its emphasis on morality. I wonder if her mother knew that she was drinking, and sexually active. It doesn't make sense as to why the girl would even be in that position in the first place to where the rape could even occur. However, Roman Polanski should have known way better and the full blame ends up going to him because he knowingly drugged her even if he didn't know her age or something, it's never okay to drug somebody.