College Writer Calls Rape "Magical"
Recently a 23-year old college sophomore proclaimed rape as a "magical experience" for ugly women and prison inmates. Asserting his "higher-eductaion" academic wit, writer John Petroski attests that rape is an "experience that benefits society as a whole."
The commentator on social sciences is an opinion editor for The Recorder, a student-run newspaper for Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). What he neglected to take into consideration in his piece, were the potentially damaging side-effects. Protests and outbursts of rage have since proliferated the campus, causing major strife for Editor-In-Chief Mark Rowan, who in response to the outbursts, smugly asserted that, "the rally was laughable."
What ever happened to common sense and good judgment - to fair and accurate reporting? Students who that think rape is funny, or laugh at the pain they have caused in doing so, are a dangerous bunch. They should be ousted from the paper, the University, and perhaps even barred from pursuing journalism at all. If we allow these juggernauts to promote rape and battery, what kind of message are we sending?
Petroski seems to think that society won't be harmed by his horrific claims. In fact, he suggests that society as a whole can benefit from rape, professed in his Rome analogy: "Where would the Romans be, after all, if it weren't for the rape of Lucretia? If it weren't for that event, the world might have never had the Roman Republic for the pristine example of a flawless government." Petroski goes on to assert that rape helps counter violence in prisons, and that ugly women can "know the joys of intercourse with a man who isn't drunk." If he is such an expert on ugliness, perhaps he should look in the mirror.
Rowan did say that the article was meant to be a satire, but admitted that the editorial did "overstep boundaries." Isn't that a little short of the mark? Sarah, a CCSU freshman, certainly wasn't crying tears of joy when she read the article, titled, by the way, Rape Only Hurts if You Fight It. Sarah was raped at the age of 15, and was utterly shocked by the editorial, saying " I couldn't believe anyone in this day and age would write something like that, and that other people would let it be published. "
Protesters attacked the paper, demanding that both Petroski and Rowan resign from their editorial positions. Both have declined. Are we supposed to wait for the writers to decide if they are qualified - for the ugliness to recognize and chastise itself? Imagine, if you will, if we had let Hitler decide if he was a fair ruler, or allowed Ted Bundy to determine his own sentence. The world would not be a safe place; nor is it safe when we tolerate this kind of trash to go un-sanitized.
It's time to make room for those who have actual news to report, to allow opinions to be expressed that won't idolize criminality. I'm all for freedom of speech, but c'mon folks, let's have a little class - especially in our schools.
http://www.courant.com/news/education/hc-nebccsu0209.artfeb09,0,6320416.story?coll=hc-headlines-education
http://media.www.dailycampus.com/media/storage/paper340/news/2007/02/09/News/Ccsu-Op.Editor.Calls.Rape.magical-2709737.shtml?sourcedomain=www.dailycampus.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com&refsource=collegeheadlines
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11 Comments
Post a CommentI'd like to show both those guys another use for my hedge clippers-it'll only hurt if you fight it!
Wow, even as a satire, there are just some things that are out of bounds- treating rape as a joke is one of those boundaries. And, to indicate that becasue a girl is ugly, she shouldn't mind being violated is so repulsive, I don't even have words for it. And Jean is right, the right to free speach doesn't mean you should go out of your way to abuse it by being a totally ignorant human being.
While the editorial, satire or not, was a disgusting display of violent immaturity, it is never the less still nothing more than words on paper. To compare publishing an essay with the horrific tangible crimes of Hitler is a slippery slope I would be scared of any society to fall down. Words can not assault people, they can not kill them, they can not shove them into ovens or send them to gulags, only people and their physical actions can do that. If you are suggesting a society ought to silence, imprison, or kill people because they say things you deem inappropriate than you are advocating a society no better than Hitler's Germany. We all have a right to our ideas, they are our own and nobody else's, even if they are stupid and completely incorrect. You have no right to silence someone for expressing an opinion you disagree with, the second they act on those opinions and assault another person or property they have crossed the line, but to be attacked for only speaking and thinki
wow, what a great article. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I just can't believe anyone thought that would be funny.
Wow! There's obnoxiously offensive funny but that topic should never even be attempted! That's just messing with the wrong thing! Who in their right mind would not be upset over this article, claiming rape is 'a good thing for ugly people'... that wouldn't even generate a smile from anyone other than people who would think rape is okay to begin with. Was it really meant to be funny, or a desperate attempt to create an article that will grab attention? In either case, the title of this article is appalling and I too would pull together a rally.
If it were truly a satire it would not offend but instead educate. By this standard the piece could not be considered satire, but instead a callous and disgusting piece of trash that should not have been printed out of respect for rape victims. Dialogue yes, a crass attempt at humor (if that is what it was), no.
This is one of the most horrific things I've ever read. I really don't understand how it went to print.
They may not want to resign, but I bet if they agreed to go to rehab everything would be fixed.... right? Isn't that the new trend?
Unreal! Where is common sense and ethics in publishing these days? I just read a news story in our local paper where a 9, 15, and 19 old sisters were raped at gunpoint. That might have been 'magical' for the rapist scumbag but those girls will live with the pain forever!! Just because you can write something "for fun" and get people to take notice doesn't mean you should do it or publish it. Those guys need to grow up and realize the power of the press shouldn't be abused in this way.
How could they still hold their jobs? I can understand free speech, but when it is so inaccurate... God forbid these people ever raise children.