Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Please explain more
Today's bizarre news item is that all charges have been dropped against the Duke lacrosse players. All. The charges. Which is ducky for them and quite possibly even the correct outcome. The accuser is probably mentally unstable, the prosecutor was excessively zealous, and the boys were a really handy stepping stone for his reelection.
Which reminds me of Tawana Brawley. Remember Tawana Brawley? The girl who accused four young men of unspeakable actions against her and turned out to have made up the whole thing because she was scared of her father who was a convicted murderer? And who gathered the likes of Bill Cosby and Al Sharpton to champion her cause and say really nasty things about the boys involved? Except for the very very minor detail that NONE of it ever happened. None. Of it. Not one single solitary piece of it. (At least the Duke guys were in the house!)
And yet, even though Tawana made the whole thing up, four young men had their lives ruined. One lost his job. One lost his career. One lost his career and his fiancée. One lost his life because he was so distraught that anyone even thought he might have done such appalling things that he took his own life. Sharpton and Cosby, among others, did a really good job stirring up community outrage.
So here's my question: where was the outrage, the demands for apologies, the people being fired and losing their jobs, after the Brawley mess? Imus has been pilloried and excoriated for doing nothing very different than what Chris Rock, rap musicians, Opie & Anthony, dozens of comedians and many others do every day, directed at everyone and anyone, and no one's life has changed or been actually hurt because of what he said. Sharpton directed venom and viciousness at specific people and wrenched and destroyed their lives. But he's never said one word of apology or done one thing to make amends. Nor has Cosby. They never splashed themsevles on the front pages of all the newspapers and went on all the cable news shows and begged for everyone's understanding and forgiveness -- as they demanded of Imus. Sharpton never worked like mad to repair the damage he caused to those four young men and to the community in which he injected so much rancor and bitterness -- as he demands of Imus. Please tell me what the difference is?
Which reminds me of Tawana Brawley. Remember Tawana Brawley? The girl who accused four young men of unspeakable actions against her and turned out to have made up the whole thing because she was scared of her father who was a convicted murderer? And who gathered the likes of Bill Cosby and Al Sharpton to champion her cause and say really nasty things about the boys involved? Except for the very very minor detail that NONE of it ever happened. None. Of it. Not one single solitary piece of it. (At least the Duke guys were in the house!)
And yet, even though Tawana made the whole thing up, four young men had their lives ruined. One lost his job. One lost his career. One lost his career and his fiancée. One lost his life because he was so distraught that anyone even thought he might have done such appalling things that he took his own life. Sharpton and Cosby, among others, did a really good job stirring up community outrage.
So here's my question: where was the outrage, the demands for apologies, the people being fired and losing their jobs, after the Brawley mess? Imus has been pilloried and excoriated for doing nothing very different than what Chris Rock, rap musicians, Opie & Anthony, dozens of comedians and many others do every day, directed at everyone and anyone, and no one's life has changed or been actually hurt because of what he said. Sharpton directed venom and viciousness at specific people and wrenched and destroyed their lives. But he's never said one word of apology or done one thing to make amends. Nor has Cosby. They never splashed themsevles on the front pages of all the newspapers and went on all the cable news shows and begged for everyone's understanding and forgiveness -- as they demanded of Imus. Sharpton never worked like mad to repair the damage he caused to those four young men and to the community in which he injected so much rancor and bitterness -- as he demands of Imus. Please tell me what the difference is?
Labels: headlines, people, reflections
Permalink | 
| posted by jau at 11:39 PM
Suzan Abrams, email: suzanabrams@live.co.uk — at 8:42 AM, April 13, 2007:
| posted by jau at 11:39 PM
2 more:
Suzan Abrams, email: suzanabrams@live.co.uk — at 8:42 AM, April 13, 2007:
What a painful post, Jau & one that immediately strikes at the conscience. It's pretty tough, regaining one's reputation. Meanwhile, if that doesn't happen, it's like dying while living. I mean if your name's gone...everything's gone. Thoughtful post in that hard-hitting way!
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