
Originally Posted by
rickdugan
I really don't want to cause upset here and I normally stay out of these types of discussions, but that article really disturbed me. Through all of the spin, through the multiple accusations of screw ups by the investigator and panelists, through the multiple excuses for why Natalie couldn't help herself more during the investigation, through the thin excuses for why none of them went to the police, and even through all of the other hyperbolic fluff thrown into the article about how these girls purportedly didn't get complete due process, a few things became clear in a hurry.
First, each side got to tell its story, in full, and he was found not responsible in all but the kissing event. They all got to testify, in person. The accusers didn't even have enough to meet the "preponderance of evidence" standard, which is far lower than what would have been required had they actually tried to get this kid charged with a crime. In Sarah's case, the Dean agreed on top of the Investigator AND the independent panel.
Second, this was a pile-on. Natalie didn't file until she learned that "Sarah" (who we now know is Emma Sulkowicz) did and Josie filed after she learned of the first two. What was really scary about the Natalie thing is that she filed months after it purportedly occurred, based upon sex that happened while they were in a relationship and sleeping together. Idk, but this sounds a lot like a few girls who simply didn't like the guy in question, including one that might have been mad because he broke up with her and another who might have felt used after inviting him to her bed previously and then again, just to have him take off when he was finished.
Now in the case of Josie, he made a hamfisted pass. He tried to kiss her and got handsy. Stupid yes, but if he really wanted to keep her in that room I'm betting that he could have. He made a pass, she rebuffed him and ran off.
And I got this from an article by an author that didn't even pretend to try to scrutinize the facts or present a balanced perspective. I can only imagine what his side of the story looks like.
Rape is a real problem in this world and cannot be tolerated. But when charges of rape are used to pursue personal agendas rather than to punish clear wrongdoing, it hurts everyone and makes it that much harder to identify true perpetrators.
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