On March 8, New York Times published an article about a 11-year-old girl who was gang raped in Texas by 18 males, ages ranged between 12-27. The rape was discovered because the boys recorded it on their cell phones and passed it around. Instead of focusing on the atrocity of the rape — a gang rape — of a little girl, the writer, James C. Mckinley, wrote his piece centered on community responses to the rape in which the girl is accused and blamed for bringing on the rapes. According to the article, “Residents in the neighborhood where the abandoned trailer stands — known as the Quarters — said the victim had been visiting various friends there for months. They said she dressed older than her age, wearing makeup and fashions more appropriate to a woman in her 20s. She would hang out with teenage boys at a playground, some said.” Instead of writing against such violent assaults or denigrating the boys for such an assault, the child is blamed. This is an affront.
Shelby Knox has begun a petition against The New York Times at change.org, intended to make NYT apologize for its reckless and reprehensible news coverage of this assault. Please go on the site and sign the petition, which has already acquired 18,000 signatures. Every signature helps and it will only take a few seconds of your time. We have to change the way rape — and gang rape– is treated in this country. No woman or child asks to be raped. Nor does she ever deserve it.
Related articles
- NY Times example of rape culture (feministphilosophers.wordpress.com)
- Thursday: Little Girls Do Not Cause Men to Rape (skydancingblog.com)
- The New York Times’ sloppy, slanted child rape story (salon.com)
- Eighteen Charged in Texas Gang Rape (socyberty.com)
- Rape Myths (volunteermanual.wordpress.com)
I find it interesting that this article reveals more truth about our society than we are comfortable with hearing. Of course an article that blames the victim is wrong but one that displays how far we have get to go as women is actually very revealing and motivates me to action.
If this terrible mentality exists in our society, we must do something. This situation is why women are forced to where burquas.
Heather, because they cannot control themselves. It’s such a lame reason — I’m sure it’s a combination of things, like possession of female flesh, etc. I was thinking today that everything in our society that has been already set in stone — sports, business and economy, laws, etc., — were put in place because of men and for men and by men. And this is why we are not moving forward in society or in the home — because we are trying to swim against heavily bombarded waves in an ocean of patriarchy. And we are not fighting hard enough. Thanks for reading. I went to Andrea Doucet’s blog and posted a comment, only to realize you had posted a comment right before me!
Signed the petition. Thanks for posting about this.
I was amazed that there was a quote in the NY Times article stating that the boys will have to live with this their whole lives. What about the victim?
Thanks, Karen! I can’t believe it myself either.
That was the comment that truly blew my mind –”they will have to live with this for the rest of their lives?!!!” I am so disheartened with what is happening to our young people these days. Girls are raped, abused and marginalized at all levels of society and young men are ‘let off the hook’….there is no outrage, and no concern for the female victims. Instead, we are treated to yet another round of “she had it comin’ — from women as well as men.
I know, Pat. It’s ridiculous that the attention of empathy is focused on the perpetrators, and the girl’s suffering is completely silenced. Thanks for stopping by here!
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