[2745] in Depressing_Thoughts
the Mike Tyson rape trial
jtidwell@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (jtidwell@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Tue Feb 4 13:28:01 1992
The more I read about situations like this, the less faith I have in
America... Mike Tyson is being accused of rape by an 18-year-old woman
who was in the Miss Black America beauty pageant. It seems that she is
really the "ideal victim" for a case like this - she is well-educated, an
honors student, an active Christian, impeccable reputation with friends
and family, and to the media, looks very naive and trusting. On the night
that the alleged rape happened, Tyson had apparently been acting very crude
and suggestive to other women in the pageant. So far, the trial seems to
have gone almost entirely in her favor. Given the situation . . .
Why has the NAACP taken Tyson's side, claiming that it's a racial-bias issue?
Why have local churches taken Tyson's side, publicly praying for his acquittal
and encouraging others to do so?
Where are all the people who supported Anita Hill and/or Patricia Bowman?
Overall, why is it that NO ONE in the media or anywhere else has taken the
woman's side in this case? Is it because she's black? Is it because she
"asked for it" by trusting Tyson enough to enter his room for a few minutes?
Why do the churches, especially, hold Tyson up as a role model - given that
EVEN IF he didn't force anything that night, he was still clearly way out of
line and did things that no church should condone?
sigh. Things like this make me frightened to live in this country. I am
honestly afraid that if I ever get raped or assaulted in any other way, I
really have no recourse, no way of avoiding vicious prosecution that will
bring out every detail of my private life, and no real chance of winning a
case. Even if my life was that of a "perfect woman." They'd still find a
way of making it "my fault".
[N.B.: technically, Tyson should be acquitted if it really comes down to
her word against his. Reasonable doubt and all that. What really saddens
me is the public reaction.]
