Two members of the Steubenville, Ohio, football team were found guilty of raping a girl at a party last August. You can find all the details wherever you choose.
Here's a clip from The Onion, created in 2011, about a fictional college jock and his trouble with an arrest for rape.
College Basketball Star Heroically Overcomes Tragic Rape He Committed
I remind you: The Onion is satire. But considering the media coverage of the Steubenville case, you might consider otherwise.
Nowhere on CNN's coverage of the verdict was any sympathy expressed for the 16-year-old victim. It was all about how these two young men's lives were ruined. And the other media outlets weren't much better in their commentary.
I didn't follow this case as closely as I should have. But the Onion video resonates very clearly. The media do tend to look for ways of excusing talented male athletes for doing horrible things to women, if there is any possibility of doing so. It's not about "legitimate rape." It's about legitimizing rape. Rape is first and foremost about control. And let's not kid ourselves about how willing men are to give up any of it.
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