Wednesday, April 11, 2007: To all you Googlers landing here on searches about Don Imus’s dumb remarks, focus on more important things like the ending of the farcical Duke “rape” case.
Monday, April 24: Comments closed on this post. A defense lawyer wants to see the evidence. Read and discuss the latest news.
Friday, April 21: Comments closed. Read and discuss the latest news on the case.
Thursday, April 20: Looking for pictures of duke stripper?
Tuesday, April 18: This post is closed to comments. Read the latest news about the arrest of two lacrosse players.
Friday, April 14: Read the latest, The “Black” Helen of Troy?
Tuesday, April 11: This post is closed to comments. See the update, with predictions, titled Fake Rape at Duke: Next Steps.
Update IV (4/11): More fake-hating.
By the way, I think Howard Kurtz’s recent column is funny. He’s all over the place: nuclear bombs and leaks, Rep. Katherine Harris’s campaign, and the Page Six gossip column scandal. In the middle of all that, he mentions this post. It seems oddly out of place, but I’m not complaining…
Update III (7:30 p.m.): Tomorrow, after the nausea subsides, I’ll tell you exactly what will happen next. (Hint: Don’t expect so-called black leaders, loud and wrong as usual, to apologize for accusations of racism or to even make a statement on the matter.) Buenas noches.
Update II (6:04 p.m.).: The Associated Press is reporting that no DNA matches have been found. If the stripper had sex that night, it wasn’t with any white Duke lacrosse player. (The black member wasn’t tested.) The gutless, faithless coach quit for nothing, and the team’s season was canceled because of a lie. This double standard BS sickens me.
Also, effete “law enforcement officials” in NYC will not charge black thugs in Harlem with a hate crime for running down a white man because he was white. The ACLU cries foul. Since thought crime laws aren’t being applied across the board, get rid of the infernal things. 
***Scroll down for updates***
The “Duke Rape” case has been salaciously splashed all over the news. Although black-on-white rape is much more common than white-on-black rape, there’s something about the idea of a white man raping a black woman that brings out the retro speeches about slavery, white privilege, patriarchy, and the usual revisionist tirades.
If this woman (who is no lady, as someone referred to her) was actually raped, I hope the perpetrators are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But I was suspicious when I first heard about the incident. Knowing that blacks would believe the woman’s story before the relevant facts emerged, I avoided blogging about it until now.
(Pet peeve: A lady is a certain kind of woman; a gentleman is a certain kind of man.)
Let’s travel back in time. You may recall that in 1987, a 15-year-old black girl named Tawana Brawley claimed that six white men, three of them police officers, abducted her, raped her, covered her with feces, and wrote racial epithets on her body. People were righteously horrified and made their views known. This was the case that made Al Sharpton infamous, as he and others rallied to the poor child’s defense. The whole thing became a media sensation. Black celebrities joined the crusade, and any white person who didn’t buy the girl’s shaky and unlikely story was immediately branded a racist.
The truth has a way of floating to the surface. The grand jury determined that Brawley’s story wasn’t credible. The rape kit indicated no rape had occurred, her story was inconsistent, witnesses contradicted her version, etc. The grand jury threw out the case in 1988. It was later revealed that Brawley made up the whole thing to cover up skipping school and visiting a former boyfriend in jail.
Ten years later, Steve Pagones, the prosecutor who Sharpton accused of being a racist, sued for defamation and won. Brawley was young and dumb, but she maintains that she was raped by the men. No lessons learned.
Let’s return to the present day. Last month two black strippers worked a party given by members of Duke University’s lacrosse team. One claims to have been gang-raped and beaten by several white members. As expected, the alleged incident has sparked ill-informed and premature outcries of racism and irrelevant rants about historic victimization by the white power structure, or something like that.
In my deeply-held opinion, much of the outrage is based not on what may have happened to the stripper but on class envy and covetousness. A predominantly heavily black city (Don’t rely on news stories! Considering that blacks are only 13 percent of the pop., Durham is considered “heavily” black.) resents the heck out of the predominantly white private university in its midst, and a rape allegation provides an excuse to throw accusations of racism. Some of Duke’s black students, many of whom were probably admitted on a separate admissions track euphemistically known as “affirmative action,” have joined the madding crowd. No one, of course, wants to wait for the evidence except the prosecutor, who hasn’t charged anyone.
But is it true, or is this just another Tawana Brawley-type hoax? I won’t rehash the story. You can follow it from the beginning at Google News and in the archives at WRAL.com.
Only some of the lacrosse team members attended the party, but 46 had to submit to DNA tests. And the idiot coach quit. Why, for Pete’s sake? Anyway, there are some discrepancies about who called 911 and whether the stripper arrived at the party already injured. And drunk. One of the strippers called 911, claiming to be a passerby, but defense attorneys say they can prove she was inside the house. I’m not quite sure what this means, though.
Right or wrong, an alleged rape victim’s character is always at issue. I’m not so quick to believe a woman (regardless of color) who takes off her clothes in front of strangers for a living. No one deserves to be violated, of course, but if you’re taking off your clothes and gyrating in front of a group of drunk men (regardless of color)…
Now, let’s talk about racial double standards. I laughed out loud when I read that Duke’s president met with “black leaders.” A rape accusation has been leveled. Does it really matter what color the people are? Apparently so. Black people can be such babies, can’t we? We need to be placated and coddled like whiny toddlers. If the evidence reveals there was no rape and the stripper made up the whole story, will “black leaders” make a public statement about it? What about a private apology-chat with Duke’s president? Care to wager?
As I mentioned before, black men raping white women is much more common than the other way around, but when was the last time a football team canceled its season? Other college rapes, that is, black-on-white rapes, don’t get a fraction of coverage, such as this one or this one. Remember thuggish Lawrence Phillips, a black football player who had a penchant for beating up white women? The media barely reported those stories.
And what about “hate crimes?” Although whites are the most likely hate crime victims, the only so-called hate crimes that get blanket coverage involve black victims and white perpetrators. By the way, this is what I think of “hate crimes.”
(Examples of fake-hating: Alicia Hardin, black couple blames KKK for fire they set, black students distribute “racist” stuff and blame white supremacists, black firefighters plant nooses and blame whites, two black students plant “racist” flyers…)
Most recently, a white man in NYC was run down by a group of young black thugs because he was white, and I’m willing to bet you haven’t read many stories about it. But if that had been a car full of white boys chasing a black guy…Oh Boy!
I’ll wrap this up. Let’s recap: if the lacrosse players, regardless of their color, raped the stripper, get ‘em. If not, get her for making a false report and for defamation.
We’ll just have to wait and see what the evidence reveals.
[That e-mail! - Yes, it is awful and vulgar. The whole thing is awful. The e-mail and the emerging photos are evidence. ]
Addendum: This post seems to be enraging the type of readers who can’t seem to present an argument free of ad hominem. Why such people continue to read my blog, I don’t know. It’s a compulsion, I suppose. I may moderate comments on and off today, so don’t submit twice.
Update: Around the ’sphere: Talk Left:
Bottom line in my opinion: The accuser got to the party at 11:30 pm. The evidence of sexual activity which the rape exam nurse found to be merely “consistent with” forcible sex, likely happened before she arrived, as did her physical injuries. There was a dispute (and possibly) a scuffle over the money - the players felt ripped off that the girls stopped dancing after just a few minutes and that one of them (the accuser) was too drunk to dance.
Riehl World View, News & Observer Editor’s Blog…
The Independent Conservative writes:
I must say, that I’m really starting to get ticked. Black people have been able to effectively build up a store of “trust†in terms of crying “racismâ€. When the claim is used in conjunction with a crime it brings a stir of protesters, news cameras and other attention. It’s like the “chicken little†response. Blacks have been able to use the claim of “racism†to win plenty of attention. When the claim is legitimate, it helps to ensure that a racist is exposed. It actually has helped Black on White crime to get less attention than White on Black crime, although the former is more prevalent. It has also caused the massive amount of Black on Black crime to go virtually ignored. So like the “chicken little†story, enough false claims will only ensure that future legitimate claims go ignored.
Tuesday, April 11: This post is closed to comments. See the update, with predictions, titled Fake Rape at Duke: Next Steps.
Great post La Shawn! I would agree whole heartedly. There is never any excuse for raping someone, and all the culpability for this (if true) goes to the lacrosse team. But at the same time, being a stripper is kind of like standing in traffic.
Speaking of strippers, I met one at the library once. Very pretty girl. I approached her and we got to talking a little. She admitted to me that she was a stripper - and pro-abortion no less - as well as a few other things that I probably shouldn’t share on a Christian blog. Now, most of the guys I work with would have probably taken a look at her and thought she was the ‘total package’. But as physically good looking as she was, I couldn’t get past what was inside.
I tried talking to her about God and salvation and how there was a better way. I told her how God loves us all and how much he wants us to turn to Him. She basically told me I was nuts and full of it. Very sad.
Comment by John — 04.10.06 @ 9:34 am
Although you made some valid points, the ad hominem disqualified you. - Admin
Comment by Derrick — 04.10.06 @ 9:46 am
La Shawn:
The issue of the dated photos gives more credibility that this “victim” is a liar.
Another unspoken issue here is the college fraternity house. This is an unhealthy environment, and I hope parents who pay good money to send their children to college will re-think the whole fraternity issue.
Drinking, partying, and wild sex are ROUTINE at such places, so no one should act surprised when a loser (woman with 2 children and undoubtedly no husband) undresses in front of a bunch of drunk boys.
These young men set themselves up for trouble, and they got it.
Comment by Frank Zavisca — 04.10.06 @ 9:54 am
I remember the Tawana Brawley case quite well, but I think that was a relatively unique event. Tawana was “victimized” by the demogogary of Sharpton (although Tawana did initiate the lie).
While I agree with the sentiment that we shouldn’t automatically assume that the alleged rape “victim” is telling the truth, I am left to wonder why, exactly, a woman would claim to be raped if she wasn’t. Especially since the revelation would necessarily result in it becoming known about her occupation as a stripper.
Finally, I call upon La Shawn to finish her sentence: “No one deserves to be violated, of course, but if you’re taking off your clothes and gyrating in front of a group of drunk men…”
I don’t know what La Shawn is trying to say, but the inference is that she should have (at the very least) expected it. If that’s La Shawn’s implication, I strongly disagree. Every day, in strip clubs and parties across the country, hundreds of women take off their clothes and gyrate in from of drunk men, and the result almost never ends in rape. I’m sorry, but if a rape actually occurred, then the men were sober enough to know right from wrong.
Sober or drunk, if they raped the stripper, they’re accountable. I would never profess otherwise and haven’t done so in this post. - Admin
Comment by Kman — 04.10.06 @ 10:10 am
It’s known that one of the Duke lacrosse players sent an E-mail apparently related to the incident; I shan’t try to quote from the E-mail in your comment box, but it’s available as part of this item on The Smoking Gun (see especially this page). (Warning: it’s pretty sickening)
So there’s a fair possibility that there’s something here besides noise. We shall see.
Comment by Erbo — 04.10.06 @ 10:19 am
“black-on-white rape is much more common than white-on-black rape,”
are you sure on this fact. I very much doubt that is true. I suspect black on black and white on white is the much more common.
Either way, that is not a statement you should make without at least some data to back it up.
Comment by Scott Wickham — 04.10.06 @ 10:55 am
Scott, I compared interracial rapes, not intraracial rapes. Concerning the latter, you are correct. Generally speaking blacks rape blacks and whites rape whites, but black-on-white rape is more common than white-on-black rape. All rape is hideous, of course, but the media tend to ignore racial distinctions that paint blacks in a negative light.
Bureau of Justice statistics: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/race.htm and http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/cvus0302.pdf. Here are some homicide stats by race: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/tables/ovracetab.htm… and overall crime rates: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/welcome.html
Generally speaking, blacks are more likely to be victimized by other blacks, and the same goes for whites.
Years ago Walter Williams wrote about how the media ignores Jared Taylor’s The Color of Crime report, which highlights differences between black and white criminals and victims. He may have an agenda, but he can’t be accused of making up numbers.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=3691
A whole rap subculture, aided and abetted by Black Entertainment Television, GLORIFIES misogyny. Where is the outrage, I ask?!
Comment by La Shawn — 04.10.06 @ 11:14 am
>>Every day, in strip clubs and parties across the country, hundreds of women take off their clothes and gyrate in from of drunk men, and the result almost never ends in rape>>
And those clubs have security to prevent such things from happening. I doubt that there was any security at this particular party.
Personally, I’m waiting to hear more evidence. Why one stripper raped, and not the other? On the other hand, broken fingernails and breakage indicates a struggle did actually happen. DNA is important, not so much for identification but apparently the LaCrosse team members say there was _no_ sex - DNA would prove that false. The photos say she had bruises before she was supposedly attacked, but even if that’s true it doesn’t prove that she _wasn’t_ raped.
>>… the inference is that she {the stripper}should have (at the very least) expected it.>>
There’s no justification for rape, but women who don’t recognize that putting themselves in situations that are physically dangerous are behaving stupidly. Every occupation has job risks - policemen put themselves in dangerous situations and sometimes get killed or hurt. Strippers putting themselves in unprotected situations are unwise - they shouldn’t be surprised if they get attacked. It’s a job risk. If you play with fire, sooner or later you’ll get burned. That doesn’t make it “right” - it’s just a fact of life.
Comment by suek — 04.10.06 @ 12:33 pm
Points To Consider Regarding The Duke Rape Case Investigation (Lessons From The Past?)
I regularly read La Shawn Barber’s blog and today she has a very interesting and well thought out entry about the current Duke rape case investigation and questions that have arisen from it. I invite you to go read it and maybe even leave a comment ab…
Trackback by The World According To Carl — 04.10.06 @ 12:41 pm
Boy you took on a touchy subject here LaShawn.
The one point I’d like to make is this case is being tried on television before our very eyes without one shred of evidence presented by the prosecution or the defense for that matter (at least that I’ve seen). Goes to show you how powerful the media is in shaping public opinion. The e-mail may be an exception..I haven’t seen it. Other than that however, who has seen the fingernails, the movies, heard a word out of any of the people on the team or the alleged victims? I watch television quite a bit..I haven’t seen one of those things.
Thank God we still have a trial by judge/jury system.
Comment by dianne — 04.10.06 @ 12:57 pm
… the Duke LaCrosse Team rape victim might be channeling Tawana Brawley. Ouch!
Pingback by Civil Commotion — 04.10.06 @ 1:04 pm
Duke Rape Allegations Update
La Shawn Barber - a female, black, conservative blogger weighs in. My qualifiers above have more to do with someone else recently in the news, not La Shawn. Somehow I suspect her take differs from what might be that of,
Trackback by Riehl World View — 04.10.06 @ 1:10 pm
I LOVE it when people post insults from their WORK computers. Here’s a tip for the cognitively impaired: such comments tend to embarrass the boss. And for the record, blame your white liberal pals for the race preference stigma, not me. In light of the fact that you work at or attend a university (and probably as black as I am), I can understand your defensiveness. - Admin
Comment by Chantle — 04.10.06 @ 1:47 pm
Duke Lacrosse Rape Case is Getting Shaky!
I was previously of the opinion that the rape probably occurred, but I guess that’s the impression that you get when you hear the accuser’s story first. Now I’m hearing that a 911 call, that was supposed to be from an unrelated even…
Trackback by Independent Conservative — 04.10.06 @ 3:36 pm
I have noticed something when it comes to rape and liberals:
1. They seem to love it when it happens interracially. It seems to give them an almost giddness not that it has happened, but a new cause celeb. They’ve run out of things about the war and President Bush to harp on. They now have something new and tangible that the White man has done to us.
2. Liberals such as Michael Eric Dyson et.al. like the idea of a White man raping a Black woman so because it shows how White men have never changed, and to also show the world in a twisted sort of way how desirable Black women are. Just pay attention to their rhetoric.
3. People such as the afforementioned and his ilk, are having a field day showing she’s just like every other woman, yet she was given a bad break in life that is why she had to start dancing. She’s a mother and college student. They it with such reverence, but never stop to think that had she been a married college student with children she wouldn’t have to dance. To paraphrase Chris Rock It’s a lie that strippers are stripping for tuition.
4. Liberals never decry the intraracial rapes that happen everyday. The kind of rapes that usually happen by someone that is known. It is hardly ever spoken about or it is explained away as a symptom of racism or slavery. (Racism, Slavery)?
Veronica, where have you been all day?! Thanks for telling the truth. People want to crucify me for doing it, but unfortunately for them, I’m not going away.
- Admin
Comment by Veronica — 04.10.06 @ 3:50 pm
Duke lacrosse: Surrogate for whitey
Remember Tawana Brawley? How could we forget:Tawana Brawley, at 15, was having a little more adult fun than a girl her age should be having and, instead of going home to face her parents, wrote racial slurs on her own…
Trackback by Citizen Journal — 04.10.06 @ 4:22 pm
>A predominantly black city resents the heck out of the predominantly white private university in its midst…
Durham, with a 43% black population, and a 42% white population, hardly qualifies as a “predominantly black” town. And I thought the racial issues surfacing here stemmed from the fact that some of the lax players yelled comments at the girls that were well, you know, racial.
I’m not sure I follow your “separate admissions track” statement. If most of these black students got into Duke under “affirmative action,” are you saying that these students should just be happy to be at the school and stop causing a ruckus? The same could be said for 40 or so lax players who likely got into Duke under some separate admissions track euphemistically known as “athletic scholarship.” Obviously, neither group of separately admitted students got the “stay out of ‘trouble’” memo.
I do agree though, that class issues are fueling some of the emotions in this case. A lot of college towns no doubt deal with the relationships between “spoiled, rich college kids” of all colors and “hardworking locals” of all colors. That problem will not disappear anytime soon.
About the demographics quote, that’s what I deserve for relying on news stories. Actually, the figures you quote are slightly off. And no, affirmative action students shouldn’t just be “happy” about the alleged rape. I’m certain you know that I didn’t mean that, but because I’m in a good mood today, I’ll let it slide. - Admin
Comment by alchemist — 04.10.06 @ 4:31 pm
Hmm…
NO DNA matches found…
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,191232,00.html
Comment by Renee — 04.10.06 @ 5:02 pm
La Shawn, the white man who was run into traffic by kids in NY wasn’t targeted because he was white, according to the local papers. As the Post says:
“While the punks allegedly yelled, “Get whitey!” or “Get the white boy!” while chasing Hehman, cops said they are backing away from hate-crime charges because racial bias was not the motivating factor in the attack.
“”The evidence is just overwhelming that it was economic and not a hate crime,” said Osgood, who works in the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force. “In essence, what you have is an organized robbery team going into a conspiracy.”"
“Bayard,” come now. I thought you were intelligent? If a group of white boys chased a black man, yelling “Get blackie!,” and ran him over, would YOU not call that a hate crime? The whole world would go BALLISTIC if the cops refused to call it a hate crime. We all know exactly why the cops are backing off. The whole thing makes me sick to my stomach anyway. - Admin
Comment by Bayard Rustin — 04.10.06 @ 5:06 pm
^I didn’t think you were saying they should be happy about the alleged rape. I do think you believe that the black students, admitted largely through affirmative action, are joining individuals who are needlessly injecting race into the matter.
When a white male allegedly yells to a black female something about her grandfather picking the cotton for his shirt, I can see how some people would say the incident has racial undercurrents that prob need to be addressed.
Comment by alchemist — 04.10.06 @ 5:17 pm
NO DNA matches found…
I’m sure Jessie and Al will say the blood was tampered with. “Eyes rolling”
Comment by James Newman — 04.10.06 @ 5:19 pm
Is it just me or didn’t the DNA results come back really quick it’s almost as if they wanted soooooooo bad for it to be true.
Comment by James Newman — 04.10.06 @ 5:49 pm
I’ve been on this from the beginning; it’s seemed peculiar ever since day one. The blogosphere was absolutely bonkers the day the story wsa announced; I believe the only authors I saw defending the two were my site and Talkleft. Let’s see if there are any apologies from those who were so quick to label them as guilty.
Comment by Steven Donohue — 04.10.06 @ 6:05 pm
I’d expect that processing the DNA would be top priority, no matter the other cases in line ahead of it. How long does a DNA test take? I would think that like most things, the paperwork takes longer. High profile, huge need to find a someone to arrest, of course they came back quickly.
Comment by Synova — 04.10.06 @ 6:17 pm
Largely, I agree with TL’s version of events but with a few caveats.
This young woman’s story never sounded that plausible to me. In my experience in several predominately white environments, white males are not usually sexually attracted to “typically black” looking women (typically black = Mary J Blige or Fantasia not Beyonce or Halle). I never could picture them having sex, let alone group sex, with a normal black woman in that environment. It would be considered taboo. I suspect what happened is that the woman’s boyfriend or significant other had beaten and possibly sexually assaulted her earlier in the evening. After the attack ,she became inebriated to “forget” the pain. She probably didn’t want to perform that night but the other stripper probably coaxed her into it. Even though she was inebriated, convincing her to perform wasn’t all that difficult since she is a single mom with two kids and was probably desperately in need of the Duke gig to meet her monthly financial obligations. By the time she arrived at the Duke party she was already drunk and unable to perform. The other stripper brought her along and decided to follow through with the performance in order to earn the $800 dollars. I am sure the agency the young women work for does not have a website (if they did we would have already seen pictures of her somewhere). As a result, The Duke LAX players probably did not know they had hired two black strippers for $800 dollars. I doubt they would have paid that much for two black strippers and were probably miffed when they showed up. When one of the two black strippers was unable to perform, the Duke players who themselves were inebriated, probably become even more agitated. When the stripper stopped her performance and decided to collect her exorbitant performance fee , racial slurs were probably hurled heir way. This upset the women and they left the party and called police to file charges.
Comment by James — 04.10.06 @ 6:18 pm
James, agree with the whole comment, but especially the attraction thing. Unless you’re black, expect to be called a “racist” despite the veracity of your statements.
Comment by La Shawn — 04.10.06 @ 6:32 pm
Good post La Shawn, but I disagree with your characterization of the coach. His players stand by him and have been meeting with him often in the past few weeks. Of course he is the one who tendered the resignation - but he had little choice in the matter. Duke’s administration feels pressured to cover itself, and the first logical step was to hustle the coach out the door. I don’t think attacks on Pressler’s integrity are warranted.
Comment by Josh — 04.10.06 @ 6:33 pm
Finally, I call upon La Shawn to finish her sentence: “No one deserves to be violated, of course, but if you’re taking off your clothes and gyrating in front of a group of drunk men…â€
I don’t know what La Shawn is trying to say, but the inference is that she should have (at the very least) expected it.
Kman, it’s no different than being in a rough bar and flashing a big roll of money — no one says you should be rolled for that, but no one should be surprised if you are robbed.
Comment by Larry — 04.10.06 @ 7:02 pm
Jumping To Conclusions Is Not Good Exercise, Even For The Media
Last week, I wrote about bloggers jumping to conclusions. This week, we have an example of what happens when the media jumps to conclusions. When allegations of gang rape and assault got leveled at the Duke University lacrosse team, the…
Trackback by Captain's Quarters — 04.10.06 @ 7:04 pm
I live in Durham. My girlfriend, who is white and a Duke grad, was raped by a black man. No one was ever caught or charged, in fact the SBI never even tested the DNA. The fact that the local police are corrupt and incompetent is undeniable - the crime rate is too high not to have some degree of de-policing or bribery taking place.
In any case, when I heard about the lacrosse team party and alleged rape, I was livid. No one, not a stripper, a drunken car thief, or NCCU student deserves to be raped. It’s a horrible crime that hurts people far beyond the victim herself.
The story took the usual Durham turns - public outcry, racial animosity being trotted forth (where was the white leadership when my girlfriend was raped? Where were the demonstrators?), marches, rallies, anti-Duke sentiment crackling through the air - as I say, all very predictable, if not orchestrated. Now that some facts are available, the next turn the story will take will be that of conspiracy. The same race baiters will be out stirring up hatred, while the real victim is the next woman who is actually raped and her story is not believed.
I go to Durham tech, and the talk there was immediately after the rape report, and long before the DNA results were known, was that there will be an official coverup. So the fall back position was posited before the evidence was available. Never mind that the police and the investigators are majority African American, nope, if Duke is involved, there has to be money changing hands in a massive conspiracy to keep that poor victim from ever receiving justice.
The Durham City Motto should be “Never Let Facts Screw up a Good Story”, only in Latin, so it sounds classier. Oh, that’s right, class is only talked about with regards to wealth.
This is a sad story that has gotten way too much airplay. Will the woman who cried rape be charged with making a false report? Will she change her story? Will we get another Al Sharpton as a result of this attention? Stay tuned kids, Durham is home of the Bulls and their byproducts…
Comment by JM — 04.10.06 @ 7:10 pm
“â€The evidence is just overwhelming that it was economic and not a hate crime,†said Osgood, who works in the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force. “In essence, what you have is an organized robbery team going into a conspiracy.—
It makes sense. Every thief knows when you want a big payday you look for a 20-year-old college student giving pocket change to a disabled person.
(Like Willie Sutton said…)
Comment by Marty — 04.10.06 @ 7:14 pm
Given the negative frame for fraternities, athletes, upper-middle class +, and parties in the national media, I was highly skeptical of this story to begin with. A great example of this is the Slate story on why LAX players are such idiots http://www.slate.com/id/2139536 .
The entire episode is a display of the common journalist antipathy to athletic and socially successful highschool/college students leavened with deep liberal racial guilt. From this you get a ridiculous scandal, with the leftist faculty piling on in an attempt to excise sports from campus and at the very least get some of their own back against the students and alumni.
Bad things do happen at parties, and anyone can committ any crime, but it tends to be very useful to be conservative in presenting your judgement in such easily framed stories.
As to the attraction factor: it’s fairly well demonstrated that race preferences are inverse between males and females, so that the various interracial relationship stereotypes are cliches and yet so very, very true (black man-white woman, white man-east asian woman, white man-northern indian). I love the fact that so many liberals view the existence of some of these relationships and preferences as racist. Black men that like white woman aren’t racist (though they do catch hell from a significant % of black women), though sometimes the white women will be called that. White men’s cliched desire for east asian and northern indian (or rather light skinned south asians, typically of high caste) women gets thoroughly trashed, as does a typical lack of desire for classically black features. The politics of race and attraction are rather hilarious, to see liberals attacking inter-racial relationships because they aren’t of the right kind or in the right proportion. A small but telling detail about the Left.
Comment by Hey — 04.10.06 @ 7:28 pm
La Shawn, second time here. Great post. I have to admit, you are one brave soul for daring to take on such sensitive subjects that are nonetheless needed.
Keep it up!
Comment by La Ventanita — 04.10.06 @ 7:39 pm
This whole thing is just vile.
Comment by Mwalimu Daudi — 04.10.06 @ 8:00 pm
James: I’ve always wondered about the attraction thing. I agree with you based on an entirely different set of criteria. I’m african and I realize that without any external pressure, most africans I know are only interested sexually in white women out of curiousity. The body shape of most white women i.e. the narrow hips are not found to be attractive by african men. Just for disclosure purposes the whole black men like big girls thing is also a myth and that has nothing to do with hollywood or media stereotypes. Africans (for whom I can speak at least) like their girls with a bit of flesh i.e. we generally don’t like the prepubescent bony look but at the same time, we also have thousands of adages that caution against indulgence so the obese look is also ridiculed. However the thing I’ve always wondered about is that there seems to be this thing about black men (in the u.s.) considering white women to be the cream of the crop. I’ve always wondered whether that’s a stereotype or a myth. Is it because they are used to seeing the white woman as some sort of unattainable goal? or is it because that’s the predominant female representation they see in the media? I’m not trying to be a troll here. I’m just interested in some real answers. People seem to be honest online, that’s why I’m asking. By the way james this girl might not be typically black. Secondly I’m african and I’ve plenty of cousins that are not typically black by your definition even though they have no iota of white in them so this girl might not look the way you thing she does.
As per the story, I’m sorry I just don’t take things like this seriously because the purpose of a justice system is to find out the truth. It’s not the media’s place. Now if it was the no knock scenario that had cory maye in a bind I might be inclined to say something. And yes I’m african and black not arab or white (south african). Most importantly however, I’ve lived in both africa and here and honestly most africans just don’t get the whiny “the man is keeping me/us down” meme. Get a life people!
Comment by tolu — 04.10.06 @ 8:01 pm
One thing that is bugging me is that according to the report I read, the camera evidence suggests that the woman was clearly beaten before arrival at the house. So why didn’t these guys call the cops? Look, I’m not accusing them of rape, but what gives? A woman — regardless of profession — shows up at your door with wounds you get her to a hospital.
Comment by Derek — 04.10.06 @ 8:16 pm
Tolu
Thanks for your comments.
In regards to the issue of attraction, it has been my experience over 20+ years, that white males are generally not attracted to black women who possess typically black features. On those rare occasions when I have heard white males compliment the appearance of a black woman she was typically someone with European features - Vanessa Williams, Halle Berry, Beyonce, or of she was a noncelebrity, someone who resembled these women. That does not mean that individual white males aren’t attracted to black women - anyone living in a large city can recall interracial couples that are exceptions to this rule. However, in general I believe my assertion to be true, and from the moment I first heard about the Duke case I always thought it was highly unlikely that three white males,in the presence of nearly 50 of their beer drinking peers, would openly have sex with a black woman. It would be considered taboo.
As to the question of black male/white female and asian female/white male couples, I have always tended to believe that such relationships are driven by what I called the perception of a “beauty” myth. I have always been a bit taken aback by the rationalizations of black males and asian females who stated a preference for white partners. If the stereotype of white women is that they are thin wispy, classically featured beauties and the stereotype of white men is that they are masculine, outgoing, charismatic “new” men, it has always struck me as bizarre how few white women and white men who ACTUALLY date black men and asian women fit this description. I hate to stereotype but here in Texas, the typical white woman I see with black men is usually overweight and not a classic beauty. The typical white male who dates asians female is a nerdy, quiet, introverted everyman. What gives?
Comment by James — 04.10.06 @ 8:37 pm
My son is at Duke, three of his frat brothers are on the team. This from the beginning was total BS. This HOOKER, you call an escort service for HOOKERS, not dancers, thought she was going to be the next Rodney King and get Whitey and some cash. Fortunately, the boys on the team didn’t come to the table empty handed. They have the BEST lawyers in the county and after the democrat primary, May 2nd, this will all be over. The DA is running against a black male and a white woman, duh, guess what % of the vote is black. This guy’s only hope is to be the black woman’s “champion”. Democrat politics is so dirty, I need to go take a shower thinking about it. This is all about a petty jerk trying to get re elected to keep is state job, his great goal in life, stay on the tit.
Comment by Kemperman — 04.10.06 @ 8:38 pm
Kman:”…I am left to wonder why, exactly, a woman would claim to be raped if she wasn’t. Especially since the revelation would necessarily result in it becoming known about her occupation as a stripper.”
I guess it’s for the same reason a man rapes a woman even if rape necessarily results in a man being a criminal. He rapes because he can. If rape isn’t about sex but about power, and if power seduces both men and women, why can’t false accusations of rape be about power as well?
Comment by pok — 04.10.06 @ 10:14 pm
James,
Although I see some validity in your analogy of the typical preference of white men toward black women…
I would disagree that it holds any water in this case for the reasons you state…
They were DRUNK! All of them. From experience being drunk tends to change things considerable (what’s the old saying..a 2 at 10 is a 10 at 2). Many people drink just for that reason, it cuts away at inhibitions and numbs the senses, especially in the realm of sex.
I am not saying the guys raped her (I have found that hard to believe based on the story that has been portrayed) and nor am I saying that sex may have occured at all. But because of the perversion of sex in our society, the fact that she was there to shake her “booty” naked, and the drinking…it’s not far fetched to consider that sex can occur between the parties. No attractin is ever needed when drunk, to have sex.
Comment by Renee — 04.10.06 @ 10:16 pm
This incident is similar to the fracas at the University of Colorado. At CU the race situation was generally reversed, with black CU athletes (male) allegedly assaulting white CU students (female) and Boulder residents, although race never really made it into the press. For the most part it was presented as a male aggressor- female victim issue.
The result was a wrecked athletic program,along with individual and school reputations, without any individuals ever being indicted for any of the assaults.
I remember some discussions with my male friends at the time remarking how there was almost nothing anyone involved could say supporting CU without being hammered by the fairer sex for defending “those animals.” No one involved on the complainant side was willing to wait for the facts to be developed.
And the bottom line at the end-no one charged with a crime, the civil lawsuits tossed out, and CU and the folks who pay the bills (me) spending gobs of our money to defend the University.
What a crazy world we live in these days.
Nice work on this La Shawn.
Comment by Rob McNickle — 04.10.06 @ 10:55 pm
Renee
Actually I agree with you to a point. I think that if this had been a party with 3 or 5 people anything could have happened. However with a party this large, group dynamics begin to change:
1. Yes, everyone has been drinking but not everyone is impaired to the same degree. Someone would have seen 3 or 5 guys trying to drag her to the restroom and would have interceded. The fact that she was a black woman, who was considered “less desirable”, would have actually made the decision to intercede much easier to make.
2. Although all of these guys played Lacrosse together, 50 members of a group can’t know or care about each other well enough to risk going to prison as accessories to a felony. If someone had seen somtehing, or even thought that they had seen something, they would have spilled the beans to the police, especially after the p.r. firestorm of the last two weeks. Not everyone at the party would have enough allegiance to the 3 or 5 perpetartors to risk giving up the rest of their lives. for their transgressions.
Comment by James — 04.10.06 @ 11:01 pm
Are the Duke lacrosse players innocent?
The Associated Press is reporting:
DURHAM, N.C. — DNA testing failed to connect any members of the Duke University lacrosse team to the alleged rape of a stripper, attorneys for the athletes said Monday.
Citing DNA test results delivered by the sta…
Trackback by Sister Toldjah — 04.10.06 @ 11:18 pm
>I am left to wonder why, exactly, a woman would claim to be
>raped if she wasn’t.
1) revenge
2) attention and sympathy
3) to divert attention from other acts of the accuser
4) as a power play in a divorce or child custody dispute
5) to explain away the revelation of inconvenient facts e.g.
5a) consensual sex by a child
5b) adultery committed by a spouse
6) scoring political points with other feminists
If a real person is accused (rather than the catchall “anonymous stranger”) many of these have serious, unconscionable repercussions to the target of these accusations. Can you imagine being a teenager whose girlfriend has accused you of rape in order to avoid reproof or punishment meted out by her parents? Even if the truth comes out later the damage has been done, and the chance of any punishment given her, let alone public admonishment, is just about zero. “You can’t discourage women from coming forward”, after all!
Comment by Bob Smith — 04.10.06 @ 11:34 pm
I agree about the racial politics of the case, but i think there was another factor also at work. April is National Sexual Assault Awareness month. Campus activists had already scheduled events to raise awareness. The accusations against the team were just too good an issue to pass up.
Comment by craig henry — 04.11.06 @ 12:51 am
Interesting comments on this subject by black “conservative” Debra Dickerson:
http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/feature/2005/07/30/gender_crashers/index.html?pn=3
I don’t hear as much from her as I used to. LaShawn - Have you ever spoken to her. She has a very interesting take on racial issues. Her autobiography “An American Story” is probably one of the most underrated books of the last 10 years.
Comment by James — 04.11.06 @ 2:17 am
Somebody’s got some ’splaining to do!
So, nearly the entire Duke mens’ varsity lacrosse team was accused of raping a woman — or more precisely, 46 out of 47 players were accuesed of being among the three to rape this particular woman. As a punishment, a few games, and then the rest of t…
Trackback by Different River — 04.11.06 @ 3:56 am
>Knowing that blacks would believe the woman’s story before the relevant facts emerged…
Those black people are so like that, aren’t they?
Comment by Schmegeggy — 04.11.06 @ 4:58 am
Do the right thing?
As this story onionizes, one wonders if the prosecutor, up for election, will search for the truth or cover his ass….. one wonders, doesn’t one…..
Trackback by MuskegonPundit — 04.11.06 @ 6:09 am
And Lashawn Barber leaves a mark. A big mark.
Pingback by Blue Crab Boulevard — 04.11.06 @ 7:39 am
La Shawn Barber is goalkeeping.
Pingback by Conservative Politics — 04.11.06 @ 8:01 am
LaShawn Barber invokes the Tawana Brawley case, which might indeed be apt. Dallas Cowboys fans may also recall an incident several years back when Michael Irvin and Erik Williams were falsely accused of rape. It certainly happens.
Pingback by No DNA Match in Duke Gang Rape Case — 04.11.06 @ 8:15 am
No DNA Match in Duke Gang Rape Case
My interest in Duke Lacrosse, like that of most sports fans, generally ranks somewhere between my interest in preseason minor league soccer and curling. Even when it was alleged that they gang raped a 27-year-old stripper slash college student, they w…
Trackback by Outside The Beltway | OTB — 04.11.06 @ 8:18 am
I’m curious as to why anytime there is an accusation of a white person committing a crime against a black person, statistics have to be cited about black on white crime. I’m not accusing any individual of this, but I see it throughout the conservative internet chat. What happened to this simply being a case of a woman making a rape accusation? If she was raped, put the perps in jail. If the evidence is inconclusive, put no one in jail. If she lied, put her in jail. Period. But what will pointing the finger and unconstructively referring to how screwed up black people are accomplish besides alienating blacks even more from conservatives?
Comment by Shade — 04.11.06 @ 8:30 am
I hope you’re asking liberal bloggers and commenters the same questions.
I can’t speak for conservatives, only for myself. I’m sick and tired of these darn double standards. There are enough people out there griping about perceived racial slights; I’m an alternative for people who’re fed up with the ignorance. Of course it SHOULD be about the rape, but liberal media won’t leave the race angle out of the stories. As long as they and their non-media counterparts do that, I’m going to talk about race from MY point of view. Don’t blame conservatives, Shade. I’m afraid all humans are afflicted with bias.
Comment by La Shawn — 04.11.06 @ 8:37 am
As I have seen it, people have been silent about the inequity in how things are reported, and few knew that what they were hearing in the media wasn’t the whole truth.
It’s only since the other side has started to be pointed out that people are seeing more clearly motivations, etc.
Comment by My Boaz's Ruth — 04.11.06 @ 8:53 am
Though I may not share in entirety your political views, I completely subscribe to your point in this case.
The Brawley case came to mind exactly. Too quick are blacks to cry racism at the hint of suspected impropriety. As a black man, I often find myself asking others to pause and consider all the other options before dropping the “R” word. Carelessly labeling a perceived slight as racism creates a Chicken Little effect that can ultimately lead to question when a real case of prejudice arises.
While being a stripper (not exotic dancer!) does not automatically discount this woman’s story, it should raise eyebrows.
Athletes, especially those in contact sports, seem more prone to ultra-aggressive behavior toward women. It would seem prudent to wait for concrete evidence to emerge before passing judgment. However, as you said, if proven the young men did it, then prosecute to the full extent of the law, but if it’s discovered that the story was concocted to cover an unrelated incident, apologies should be bandied about like candy at Easter.
I’ll be waiting and watching with intent.
Comment by Theodore Akers — 04.11.06 @ 9:08 am
LaShawn,
Your headline is misleading. A Defense attorney for ONE of the boys said that there were no matches. The DA, however, has said the results haven’t been released. Is it possible that the defense attorney is LYING TO THE PRESS? It’s been known to happen.
How is “Is Duke Stripper Channeling Tawana Brawley?” misleading? I wonder if you’ve e-mailed newspapers about their “misleading” headlines. It’s entirely possible that the stripper was not raped at the party and that the defense attorney is telling the truth. It’s been known to happen… - Admin
Comment by AlieraKieron — 04.11.06 @ 9:22 am
LaShawn,
Yes, I have. And I email CNN a lot. They’re some of the worst. But you said that it was established that there was no DNA match, when in fact, that’s only been *claimed* by one attorney, and there are now reports that the entire team wasn’t tested - some of them fled the state before the tests were done. Those could be BS too. But I’ll believe it when I hear it from the DA.
Comment by AlieraKieron — 04.11.06 @ 9:32 am
Excuse the multiple posts.
You’re right, the headline wasn’t misleading. I was referring to “The Associated Press is reporting that no DNA matches have been found. If the stripper had sex that night, it wasn’t with any white Duke lacrosse player.” My apologies.
Comment by AlieraKieron — 04.11.06 @ 9:33 am
Why aren’t the attacks aimed solely at the liberal media? How many black people have control over what the liberal media says? I mean, if a White supremest group calls black people monkeys, does it warrant me finding some vile insult to direct at whites? You get a racist black professor at a white university make an anti-white speech, and the result all over the conservative internet is black bashing. I’m sure that the vast, vast, vast majority of blacks don’t even remotely support the notion of exterminating whites, and vice versa. I can’t help that this university hired this guy or that the majority white liberal media focuses on him. I graduated from an HBCU and while many of my professors were probably liberal (as is the case in most universities), none were radical racists.
This reminds me of how as kids we would get into arguments and talk about each other’s mothers. Our mothers were not involved in our dispute, so realistically they didn’t deserve our insults. When someone makes a statement about “black people” they are talking about me, my parents, my wife, my children, my friends, etc. etc.
As far as problems in the black community, I see those as problems to be addressed for the purpose of solving them and not thrown in our faces to show us how dysfunctional we are. Constructive criticism is fine and needed, but a lot of what I read over the net I don’t personally see as constructive. Hopefully no one views this as an attack because that is not my intention. I just want to give another point of view.
Comment by Shade — 04.11.06 @ 9:49 am
What I wrote in the previous comment and what I do on this blog ever day have absolutely nothing to do with tit-for-tat, and I resent the heck out of you characterizing it that way and for dumping your frustrations on me, Shade. As long as blacks and their so-called leaders cry “Racism!” while ignoring or downplaying our part in this whole mess, I’ll continue giving MY opinion of THEM. It matters little whether you see it as constructive or not, fortunately. If that causes you even more frustration, I suggest you read less stressful blogs. There are millions out there to choose from.
Comment by La Shawn — 04.11.06 @ 10:01 am
Shade, a good point, but let me ask you this. When black “leaders” go on TV and the print media and say things like “this is yet another example of the racism that is virulent in this country”, how do you expect people to react? Not saying it is the right way to react, but it is the one that first comes to mind.
Comment by Ian MacD. — 04.11.06 @ 10:06 am
Sorry guys, the idea that the defense attorneys are telling blatant lies and that in reality there was DNA found on the alleged victim is kind of silly. Lawyers very rarely make unequivocal statements about evidence when they can’t back them up…there is no way that the DNA results were anything other than what the defense lawyers said: no matches to any of the 46 players who gave samples.
I’m sorry to see the DA apparently digging in his heels and saying the case isn’t over, unless he has some blockbuster evedence that no one has heard about I don’t see what kind of case he has.
Assuming the photos do show the woman had her injuries when she arrived then he’s got no proof of sex with the players and no proof of any injury that could have come from the players, how is he going to prosecute? Who is he going to prosecute?
Comment by Cas — 04.11.06 @ 10:13 am
HUNTING YUPPIES IN HARLEM
The New York Post follows up on black gangs preying on innocent people in the city. *** Previous: They screamed: “Get Whitey” Related: La Shawn Barber on the Duke lacrosse case and racial double standards….
Trackback by Michelle Malkin — 04.11.06 @ 10:43 am
A thought that comes to mind is the DA was sort of vague in still pointing the blame on the Duke players (matter fact I noticed he made a point of saying that part of his job is also to clear those who are innocent). Perhaps he does have information that a rape or some sort of assualt occured HOWEVER not the way the victim claimed and has other suspects (but since he spoke to soon in the intial phases and the media has turned this into a circus he will only say so much). I almost get the impression (slight but still there) he was trying to prepare the community for other suspects who very well may be different than the initual accused suspects.
just a thought
Comment by Renee — 04.11.06 @ 11:06 am
Great post La Shawn… I have to admit, I have been leaning to the side of believing her… for no reason other than I don’t trust a team of drunk male college students. I’m just a hand-wringer who hopes it didn’t happen and hopes that if she’s lying then she’s caught and if she’s not then the rapist is caught. I always feel a little dumb when I let my emotions get the better of me and I allow myself to be persuaded by a stereotype. Guess this is why I’m not in any sort of position of power…
Comment by Heather Cook — 04.11.06 @ 11:06 am
UGH, UGH and double UGH
Fox News will be interviewing the “Rev” Jesse Jackson about this sometime in the next 30 minutes (we knew it was coming).
Where was he yesterday when his bud Teddy Kennedy was making a mockery of Jesse’s beloved Civil Rights movement with the moochers??
Comment by Renee — 04.11.06 @ 11:18 am
Aliera
It wasn’t just ‘one’ attorney … via Washington Post
Nifong is neither disputing the tests nor saying at this time he’s going drop the investigation (after all, he IS up for re-election ::ahem::).
It is entirely possible this woman is NOT lying, but given that from all reports she was drunk and alcohol/drugs can make recollection highly unreliable.
Of course, this won’t fit the narrative of those that believe the Duke ‘privileged white boys’ are just part and parcel of America’s racist, patriarchal culture of rape. Visiting a few of the left-of-center blogs is to witness an amazing display of spin and/or conspiracy theories.
I covered one particularly ironic post (equating Duke white lacrosse team with white racists who lynched blacks) here.
Now, I wouldn’t call these young males “innocent”…they were stupid, crass, indecent and, in the case of the emailer who “joked” about “skinning”, a creep of the first order.
But rapists they are not.
Comment by Darleen — 04.11.06 @ 11:20 am
>>Someone would have seen 3 or 5 guys trying to drag her to the restroom and would have interceded.>>
You know, reading this sentence brought another thought to mind… have you seen the photos of the house? Did you look at it and say “palacial”? Now…picture 3-5 guys plus one woman in the type of bathroom you’d expect to find in that house.
Sexual activities can be conducted in cramped situations, but including force in this situation, I’m not sure it’s physically possible…
Comment by suek — 04.11.06 @ 11:21 am
The Duke coach did not really resign. Well, he resigned but he was pretty much forced to do so by the university. It’s embarassing.
I think I am fine with the season being cancelled an the university (maybe) not renewing the players’s scholarships next year. To have an extremely hardcore party, in Duke housing, with strippers, is inappropriate. I do not think some sort of internal discipline is unwarranted.
Presumably no charges will be filed against the players. Based on what is in evidence as of right now, that sounds about right. But since the DA overreached with his earlier statements, nobody is going to be happy. The race-baiters and those who believe the woman will not be content with anything less than charges filed, especially since the DA starting talking about it from the beginning. The anti-race-baiters and those who believe the players will be unhappy that their coach was forced out and their season cancelled because of unsubstantiated allegations.
Great.
Comment by Fred — 04.11.06 @ 11:28 am
Once again our demonic media plays up something that really misses the actual point of what happened. Why I cant stand the news.
The deception is ever spreading.
Too many people of one color allegedly did something to someone of another color. Easy news and easy ratings, so it gets played up.
What about:
Underage drinking
Drunkeness
a woman working as a stripper
men hiring a stripper.
These things used to be illegal in NC.
Yet, everyone is fighting because this black woman apparently isnt getting justice fast enough, if anything actually did happen.
Once again, the media misses the point.
Comment by lukeNC — 04.11.06 @ 11:31 am
Closed post. See the update:
http://lashawnbarber.com/archives/2006/04/11/fake-rape-duke/
Comment by La Shawn — 04.11.06 @ 11:41 am