Another young girl is gone

[YarnAddict]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2307824/Audrie-Pott-case-Three-boys-16-charged-sexually-assaulting-15-year-old-girl-hung-posted-pictures-abuse-onlin e.html?ICO=most_read_module

This is an article about a 15-year old girl who hanged herself following a gang rape, with pictures posted on-line of the attack.

I don't understand why this keeps happening! Why do young boys think it is so acceptable that they will take pictures of themselves committing a heinous crime--publicize it to the world, and get away with it? Why has it taken seven months for an arrest to be made? Their names haven't even been released, and may not be. Their identities are protected, but a beautiful young girl with a bright future ahead of her is dead because of them. There isn't anything bad enough that the legal system can do to them.

[seabeyond]

1. they are being fed in a society where rape is entertainment. and the adults excuse and justify the

behavior at the expense of our girls.

[In_The_Wind]

2. It is because someone has failed to teach children what is acceptable behavior.

The poor girl escaped a lifetime of being continually haunted by memories of a horrible sexual assault that are endless compounded by the pain of cruelty from others.

May she find peace in her death. I am sorry for her soul.



and ... Welcome to DU YarnAddict.

[YarnAddict]

11. Thanks for the welcome!

This is a subject I am passionate about!

Rape has always occurred, but the access to cell phone cameras and the Internet just compounds the trauma that young women feel. Everytime I want to say "this didn't happen back when I was a teenager," I remember that yes, it did. But no one saw pictures of it. It was easier to deny rumors than refute pictures, I guess.

[In_The_Wind]

15. I was a teen in the mid-60's. It happened. No one recorded it then.

Girls, women were blamed ... if they told anyone.

[YarnAddict]

35. Sometimes they even blamed themselves

I know several who did.

[In_The_Wind]

38. The ones who blamed themselves were told it was their fault.

When it was not.

[CincyDem]

3. They think they can get away with it, because they do.

It is appalling that it took seven months and yet they're still "protected". For a lot of these kids the punishment is that they get sent to graduate school majoring in crime (aka prison). The unfortunate reality is that while you and I might see that as punishment, for many kids it's a rite of passage. The rampant combination of misogyny, anger, and raging testosterone (with more than a pinch of stupidity) is a huge threat to young women in many cultures. Combine that with an implicit "boys will be boys" attitude in courts...it's insane

[seabeyond]

9. going around doing a happy dance with the "raging testosterone" is at the least, half the issue.

bullshit.

[YarnAddict]

12. I have never supported the death penalty

But I think I might be willing to make an exception for these little animals, as well as the Steubenville football players, and the animals who raped the young girl in Canada--who also is dead as a result of what they did.

[timdog44]

21. I have to say

that I vacillate on the death penalty issue, too. It just seems to be the obvious thing to do. I am not sure that there is a high road to take here. But I have to take it, the no death penalty road. Not that I would force it on the parents. But it amazes me sometimes the way significant others deal with this kind of pain, not seeking the death of the monsters.

[CincyDem]

24. As much as I hate to agree with you on this...

...you're right. There isn't room for in a civilized society for the death penalty but I would like to see something akin to "taking away the future they anticipated". Life ?? I don't know ?

[YarnAddict]

36. Maybe the death penalty isn't the answer

But these clowns will always be a danger to women, and should never be allowed to be free to perpetrate this heinous crime ever again.

[niyad]

30. while I understand your feelings, the one thing I would say is, these are not animals. animals

do not behave this way. what I do wish for everyone involved in these heinous crimes--both those who do them, those who stand by watching, and those who vicariously share through social media-- is that they experience every minute of the suffering, the anguish, the torment, of those young women (including those in india), and the grief of their families and all who cared about them.

[YarnAddict]

37. I agree

That analogy is totally unfair to animals!

But, I also don't think they are quite human, either. They are totally missing the empathy gene. And--I don't know how any of them involved in any way can possibly ever relate to the anguish this girl felt before her death, or the anguish those who love her feel now.

[timdog44]

4. My heart goes out to the family.

How absolutely horrible this must be for them, to lose a child this way, any way.

It is hard to understand why young boys feel that they can violate another person this way. I am embarrassed for my gender. And like you, YarnAddict, I don't understand why it has taken this long to make arrests. Any bright tech savy person can trace the postings down in short order. It would appear someone is trying to cover things up? Prominent citizens of the communities involved? Who knows? It appears that the investigation is as big a crime as the crime.

And it still remains that a young life is gone. Tragedy.

From their attorney via another news article. "Allard said students used cell phones to share photos of the attack, and that the images went viral." This would suggest that more than just the perpetrators share some culpability.

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2013/04/11/4478799/3-teens-charged-with-assault-girl.html#storylink=cpy

[YarnAddict]

13. You are probably right

Probably pampered little brats who have never had to take responsibility for their own actions. I hope--finally--that reality slaps them upside the head good and hard!

[timdog44]

20. Sadly

I think I heard of another similar case in Canada just recently.

[AverageJoe90]

25. I dunno about "pampered", though.

It's important to realize that many socially reactionary conservatives, i.e. the type of person who usually treats women like total shit, DO come from middle and working-class backgrounds, and usually grow up under strict & controlling families, amongst other things, so, at least in the cases were they haven't broken off from their families, they tend to have a veneer of respectability & responsibility.....and these are the types that usually get away with it, too.

[seabeyond]

27. i know conservatives that are very respectful of women and liberals that treat women like crap.

not a political party issue. it is a man issue.

[AverageJoe90]

28. Yeah, there are some exceptions: A few liberals are nasty and some conservatives are real gentlemen.

And yes, it's really more of a male problem, that is also true, as there's plenty of assholes without a cohesive place on the political spectrum.

However, though, I have noticed a bit of a pattern over the years, and this kind of horrible behavior towards women does, a lot of times, tend to(though it's not always true, of course!) trace back to men who grew up in traditionalistic(even if not really religious), reactionary families with little or no real sense of right & wrong beyond the dictates of fathers, preachers, etc. and who've had all sorts of misogynistic crap drilled and/or beaten into them.

[YarnAddict]

34. Absolutely correct n/t

[YarnAddict]

39. My response was about why it has

taken so long for charges to be filed. Middle class, working class, poor kids would probably have been charged much sooner. This smacks of families with "connections" that allow the perpetrators to feel they can get away with anything.

[AverageJoe90]

40. That definitely happens, too, without a doubt.

Hell, we can just look at Steubenville for ONE good example of such.

[MattBaggins]

22. They need to go after the kids sharing the pics as well.

[timdog44]

23. They are also

culpable in this terrible crime. Probably to do with child porn.

[HereSince1628]

6. Apparently humiliated, not telling parents, apparently not seeking post-trauma counseling

yet posting evidence of devastating traumatic impacts on her self-esteem and relationship to community...

No FB friend saw this and thought to call a parent, the school or other authorities?

Jesus! We've got an awfully lot of education to do.

[JaneyVee]

7. Heartbreaking news story. And sickening how video of rape went viral.

[redqueen]

8. K&R. Others can make idiotic posts about whatever "narrative" they find so goddamn interesting.

I'll just keep fighting rape culture.

How many girls have to suffer and die before men stop playing games about this issue, I wonder.

[In_The_Wind]

41. Too many!

I'm with you in the stand against rape culture!

[niyad]

10. welcome to DU--thank you for posting this heartbreaking story. my heart goes out to her family

and all who cared about her. I want to cry for the sick, sick state of our world.

[Rex]

14. They believe domestic violence to be a joke

and should be punished with life in a state prison imo. No chance for parole.

[In_The_Wind]

16. I agree.

[YarnAddict]

17. Yup

Someone upthread stated that prisons are just grad schools for these monsters. They need to be put away where they can never destroy another life.

[Rex]

19. I am rarely this harsh about life

but rape is on my list of no-tolerance. I am sorry if it is young men, but they threw away their humanity...let them crawl on their hands and knees in prison to find it.

[smirkymonkey]

32. +1000

[Cleita]

18. Well, boys will be boys dontcha know!

It used to blanch my lips when I used to hear that phrase for male behavior that a girl would have had a permanently ruined reputation for.

[ChazII]

26. It is sad that any human

even thinks it is okay to post pictures.

[Jennicut]

29. How many times do we hear women and teen girls

being told to not walk alone at night/dress a certain way/don't get drunk at a party and watch your drinks for possibly being drugged? In college in the mid to late 90's I was told all these things by my own mother. Not much seems to have changed. Men and especially teenage boys are not told not to rape. We don't want to assume as a society that they will be rapists but we expect women (or even other men by men ) might be raped. It's sad and sick. I have little girls and worry about what they will go through. My friends and I grew up with some technology but it was AOL chatrooms and home videos not stuff being passed around like crazy on cell phones. It's a different world in terms of bullying too.

[niyad]

31. I was reading the comments on the linked article, and wanted to scream. "she shouldn't have

been drinking. girls should never have a drink they haven't mixed themselves" blah blah, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.

look at all the crap we get for posting the suggestions that perhaps it is the men who should be addressed. and this, on what is supposed to be a progressive board.

[redqueen]

33. Seeing that reaction here should be a huge wake up call. nt

[YarnAddict]

42. Well,

my sons started college in 2002 and 2004 and a LARGE part of their orientation included "don't rape" lectures. But, this is happeing with high school kids, so I think those lectures should start much earlier.

Girls need to have each others' backs. Look out for each other, because you sure can't trust guys.

[smirkymonkey]

43. Thank you for thoughtful post Yarn Addict.

This makes me very angry and sad too. Welcome to DU!