Senior year of high school I was honored to play Lacrosse for another High School other than the one I was attending, George Washington. It was a struggle but I accomplished what I put my mind to achieve on the field and in the game. The team was open and always welcoming to me as a member from outside the school. As the year progressed I came to love the game even with all the highs, and hardships involved. It most often is a tough game and is dedicated by its outstanding players that participate.
When the Duke Lacrosse scandal broke I felt an empathy because of my love of the game. I thought about the virtues of the game, companionship, friendships, trust, and most of all respect. Like most Americans I sat in front of the T.V. and questioned much of the media reporting of the accusations. The first impression did not waver my judgment as the story unfolded throughout the year. Simply something was missing from the accounts and the case itself. I remember the list of notorieties that appeared on CNN, FOX and MSN all spewing private opinions on guilt and horror of social injustice in the case. Legions came to condemn and indict without trial or evidence. A country that prides itself on a rule of law is more often than not lacking in its own foundational principles.
The year continued with the occasional “Duke Lacrosse Rape” case plus changes in stories, new bits of information and many more contradictions from the news media. Than last week we were told that the case was not just dropped but that the three Lacrosse players were found innocent of all charges. In other words they were totally innocent and were falsely accused guilty by the media's talking heads. There was no litany of voices this time concerned with righteousness or civil libertines for the innocents. No media lovers lining up to apologize or seek forgiveness for false accusations and condemnation.
They had found two new victims to accuse, the original accuser and the District Attorney. As I watched a new episode for media interment open up I wondered why we have a blind spot for the abuses of power of our media. Yes, I believe the accuser is responsible for slander and the District Attorney for personal political agenda and abuse of constitutional rights. It is a set of questions we have to start asking today concerning the medias rush for news entertainment. Why do we rush to judgment without fear of libel and care so little for the destruction of ones personal character? When reputations are in shambles we do not hear from those who condemned the innocent giving an apology. Nor do we see the accusers strive to undo the damages done.
We are a society out of control because we are indifferent to our responsibility for others reputation and the pain that is inflited on their lives. We have allowed statistics, advertisers and ratings to determine what we watch. We come to know how individually vulnerable we are to powerful decision makers in our society. They leave us with wonder as to what degree of the cultural tensions of the thermostat we must reach before we become motivated to question cultural assumptions, the prejudice of prejudice, fear of fear and powerful organizations. How many Lacrosse players must a society condemn or innocent men locked up in prison because of the color of their skin before we become self-aware of our cultural biases. Hopefully this case will open up a new dialogue where openess and honesty will govern the medias' reporting.
When the Duke Lacrosse scandal broke I felt an empathy because of my love of the game. I thought about the virtues of the game, companionship, friendships, trust, and most of all respect. Like most Americans I sat in front of the T.V. and questioned much of the media reporting of the accusations. The first impression did not waver my judgment as the story unfolded throughout the year. Simply something was missing from the accounts and the case itself. I remember the list of notorieties that appeared on CNN, FOX and MSN all spewing private opinions on guilt and horror of social injustice in the case. Legions came to condemn and indict without trial or evidence. A country that prides itself on a rule of law is more often than not lacking in its own foundational principles.
The year continued with the occasional “Duke Lacrosse Rape” case plus changes in stories, new bits of information and many more contradictions from the news media. Than last week we were told that the case was not just dropped but that the three Lacrosse players were found innocent of all charges. In other words they were totally innocent and were falsely accused guilty by the media's talking heads. There was no litany of voices this time concerned with righteousness or civil libertines for the innocents. No media lovers lining up to apologize or seek forgiveness for false accusations and condemnation.
They had found two new victims to accuse, the original accuser and the District Attorney. As I watched a new episode for media interment open up I wondered why we have a blind spot for the abuses of power of our media. Yes, I believe the accuser is responsible for slander and the District Attorney for personal political agenda and abuse of constitutional rights. It is a set of questions we have to start asking today concerning the medias rush for news entertainment. Why do we rush to judgment without fear of libel and care so little for the destruction of ones personal character? When reputations are in shambles we do not hear from those who condemned the innocent giving an apology. Nor do we see the accusers strive to undo the damages done.
We are a society out of control because we are indifferent to our responsibility for others reputation and the pain that is inflited on their lives. We have allowed statistics, advertisers and ratings to determine what we watch. We come to know how individually vulnerable we are to powerful decision makers in our society. They leave us with wonder as to what degree of the cultural tensions of the thermostat we must reach before we become motivated to question cultural assumptions, the prejudice of prejudice, fear of fear and powerful organizations. How many Lacrosse players must a society condemn or innocent men locked up in prison because of the color of their skin before we become self-aware of our cultural biases. Hopefully this case will open up a new dialogue where openess and honesty will govern the medias' reporting.
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