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On this Mother's Day,

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I am thankful for my Mummy and Grammy.

With that out of the way, here's what I'm angry about. It started with this Feministing article which led me to the source: My Spring Weekend Nightmare, by Melissa Bruen at The Daily Campus. Most of the comments following
the original article were supportive. However, some other people had the gall to write the following responses, emphases mine, sic implied. First the doubter:


This story seems like a graduating journalist's cry for fame. If I'm mistaken, then I am sorry, but I don't buy into any of it. Sweet picture on the front page, and nice "swimmer's build," but I feel sorry for anyone who is actually a victim of assault and doesn't have such a romanticized story to tell.

Then the critic:

Let me first start off by saying that I feel sorry for what happened . . .

Now, on to some journalistic criticism. This is on journalistic matters and how this story was handled, NOT about the situation itself. I felt that the article was poorly written and should not have been put on the front page above the fold. If anything, it should have started in the Commentary section and continued elsewhere. Normally, any story that is printed a week after the occurence rarely gets on the front page of any paper. Yes, I know it was traumatic, and if she couldn't bring herself to write it before, then perhaps a reporter should have done an interview, so she could get her story out there and more timely.

Maybe if she had been killed, then she would have been front-page material. But being assaulted by
multiple men on a college campuse belong in the "Commentary section".
Right. He continues:


Secondly, the picture is totally inappropriate for the article. The first thing I honestly saw when I picked up the paper was the three words "SOME GIRLS LUCKY". We all know that "lucky" is another word for having sex, and to wear that shirt and talk about being sexually harassed, well that was just in very poor taste. After looking closer, I saw that there were
smaller words, but from afar, no one would honestly see them. Another photo should have been used, or a different shirt.
Thirdly the article being released when it was was poor timing. Yes, I know taht she might not have been able to talk about it right away, but I ask that you go back to where I said that she should have talked to a reporter. To have the Editor-In-Chief who is graduating next week tell this tale without another issue for anyone to comment about the article seems also in very poor taste. This article should have run sooner, or it should not have ran at all. From my perspective, it seems like she wanted to get her story out there (and I give her full credit for that and support it), so she used her power as Editor-In-Chief and put it on the front page above the fold for the last normal issue.

Finally, because accused rapists allegedly hurt more than the people actually being assaulted:

Oh wow, you're sooooo brave. Please. There's a story of a kid in Georgia who was imprisoned for several years for having consensual sex with a 15-year-old girl when he was 16. THAT'S injustice, not whatever minor shenanigans happened with you. There are COUNTLESS instances of false rape accustations that lead to arrests, convictions, or simply the staining of a guy's name. (Duke lacrosse is only the foremost example).

When it comes to "rape", the vast majority of the time the only injustices are felt by men, not girls. I'm sick of supposed to be feeling sorry for girls (and yes, I say girls just to annoy feminists). This editor will probably have here future paved with gold by newspapers who will
hire her only because she's female, while far more qualifed male reporters/editors, etc. get the shaft. Happens every day, in companies, newspapers, etc. across the land. Who's getting raped there?

The anger hit me again when I read this comment under a related post on Feministe from kayline:

. . . Anyway, I wanted to contribute to the

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