Boys Gone Wild
Okay so these Duke boys were off the chain. I think and hope we can all agree on that. Where the conflicts, tensions and confusion seems to be is how this story is being framed—namely within the framework of race. I could go on and present a thesis on Black female bodies as sites for socially and culturally constructed notions of identity in mainstream culture, but I already did that in undergrad except instead of "mainstream" I used the word hegemonic so dem academic heads could hear me, but I digress. Again I could go on with my rant but why reinvent the link when Lynne already has all of the really good ones posted. I especially love this interview with Marc Anthony Neal, a professor of Af-Am Studies at Duke and one of my fav writers, because he opens the discussion about this alleged Duke rape with his theory on the Black female body and how we construct notions around that body and how hiphop, class, and how most definitely being an exotic dancer affects those notions: There's a very powerful historical discourse in this country that says, black women cannot be raped.Even though I had hoped the response from the larger Black community would be greater, I'm at least happy to see the sisters at Duke take a stand and make their grievances known. Race, gender and class do factor into how this story is being told, no doubt and regardless of how the facts reveal themselves, clearly being able to blog and serve as our own portals of info is preventing this story from being dismissed or even perceived as another version of this.
Labels: African-American women, politics, sexism
posted by theHotness Grrrl at 4:32 PM
18 Comments:
1. White guys don't fantasize about Black chicks. Sorry, but the fantasy order is euro/white, east asian, some kind of multi-ethnic. Any "man" that would rape a woman isn't objectifying his race superiority, but rather his power. If there was a rape committed by any of these guys we can be damn sure that some other women will step forward and file complaints against them as well. Being white and privileged has no bearing if in fact anything happened.
2. Where is the hew and cry in the Af-Am community about the black male that impregnates the black fem, then leaves the black fem with no social or economic support in order to raise the child? How many black college athletes have fathered out of wedlock children, then not stepped up to their commitments? We'll start this survey at the NCCU campus, and while we're at it ask why the alleged victim was pressed into the exotic dance profession in order to support her two children.
Sign me: Whitey with questions
4/13/2006 3:25 PM
"White guys don't fantasize about Black chicks. Sorry, but the fantasy order is euro/white, east asian, some kind of multi-ethnic."
oh. I didnt get the memo about this one. Shoot. Thanks for speaking for all white men!
4/17/2006 11:45 AM
Okay Whitey With Questions, I do agree that the act of rape is largely concerned with power and less about race. But how rape is discussed, framed and circulated within American culture-- a culture that is historically rooted in and propagated in the consistent rape and torture of African women-- is very much connected to race. If it was a group of Black basketball players that raped a white woman, I'm quite sure there would be a greater outpouring of "emotion" and "sympathy" for the victim and the Black men involved would be looked at as modern day Emmett Tills.
Secondly, consensual sex between a Black man and a Black woman that results in an “out of wedlock” child is NOT rape. It’s reproductive sex. I do not get your correlation between this and what allegedly happened in the Lacrosse house in Durham.
Thirdly, where is the outcry from the white community on behalf of all of the single white mothers living in trailer parks trying to eek out a living through government assistance because they are not receiving monetary support from their irresponsible white men? The presumption on your part that this woman was pressed into exotic dancing because of the economic shortcomings of a former Black lover (if in fact the father of her children are Black) is straight-up sexist and silly, not to mention racist. With such ignorant comments I can see why you are posting under a pseudonym. But thanks for posting another point of view. It’s great fuel for the debate.
4/17/2006 1:18 PM
This is fun. If I "missed the point" about why the alleged victim needed to "dance" for a living then why has Rev. Jackson now offered to pay her tuition so she can retire from stripping (or the PC job description "exotic dancing"), whether the charges are true or not? In terms of whether or not the dad is making support payments, I refer you to the Jennifer James blog. If this gal didn't dance for the money, what exactly did she do it for?
whitey
4/17/2006 2:10 PM
Whitey...
It's hard for me to believe that with Halle Berry, Tyra Banks, the rapper Eve, Garcelle Beauvois, Serena and Venus Williams, Kerry Washington (Ray) and countless other leading ladies dating/married to white men that white men don't fantasize about black women. People fantasize about what they do not or have not had...please stop speaking for your entire race.
Also, what does her reasoning behind stripping have to do with the fact that she alleges rape???? Also...
"If there was a rape committed by any of these guys we can be damn sure that some other women will step forward and file complaints against them as well."...
That was sheer comedy. I love how you essentially are saying that the only type of white man who would rape a black woman, is one who has raped before. Absoultely hilarious!
Puleez.
4/17/2006 2:45 PM
Cocoa,
You think there was a rape, I don't. I don't think these guys called up strippers 'r us with the idea of "doing" a couple of black girls. These pussies were too scared to use their own names when calling the service. How in god's name does lusting after and raping a black woman increase the status of these guys among either their peers or their lacrosstitute girl friends? If there was a rape/assault committed it was done by sick M-F, who probably have a history of assault.
whitey
4/17/2006 5:06 PM
Whitey...I actually don't think there was a rape. Funny you tried to put those words in my mouth.
I had a problem with you trying to assert that the only way one of these privileged white kids would rape a black woman was if they were sick bastards with a history...as if to say no "upstanding" white man would have the urge to rape a black woman.
4/20/2006 9:37 AM
Cocoa,
I stick by my statement whites don't rape blacks. Per the Orlando columnist Kathleen Parker today:
"There is no current trend of white men raping black women, in other words. In fact, though sample sizes are considered too small to draw any solid conclusions, the most recent figures show that among white rape victims, 15.5 percent of those rapes were perpetrated by blacks, while 0.0 percent of black victims were raped by white males. (Zero in this case is a rounded figure meaning that the total number of black women raped by white men is between 0 and half of 1 percent of the total.)"
Bottom line most rapes are intra-race,
your friend Whitey
4/20/2006 4:43 PM
Hey whitey with questions, here are some answers for you:
Race Superiority has EVERYTHING to do with power, particularly when you are white AND priviledged...its the notion that you can do whatever you want and get away with it because you are white, male and priviledged,that is the american way...read your constitution again it' what your laws are based on.
Second, other women may not come forward because it is human nature to behave differently in groups. Hence what these boys have done in a group they would not have had the "balls" if you will, to do individually. It's funny a group of black guys hanging together at a party according to the media is referred to as a pack as in "dogs" but a group of white boys well they are just frat boys,a LaCrosse team.....go figure!
Third, the hew and cry for African American single women raising babies alone is the same place the hew is for white women that have countless abortions, those that are single parents like on Jerry Springer which people wanted off the air because they didn't want to show whitey's trash, the hew is in the same place the hew is for white women that get in-vitro fertilization to have babies, kill them and blame it on some random black man that is a figment of their imagination and then cry post-partum depression/insanity and get sentenced to probation instead of murder in the first degree. It's the same place where a white woman can cry rape accuse a black man and he gets jailed for life or the death penalty. How many white athletes impregnate random women, black and white and pay for the abortions while their wives sit at home and do nothing because they are collecting that money, oops we will never know because the media doesn't cover it.Let's start THAT survey, second thought why bother I'm sure the coverage would not be adequate and the survey would not be authentic. Lets see what happens when Roe V Wade is overturned and then do THE survey instead of the one you proposed.That way you whities can't pay to cover stuff up. Lastly, the alleged victim was not pressed into exotic dancing to care for her kids, she was dancing to pay for school, since you whities are trying to make it so that no one else can afford education and compete with you for jobs, are we back to race superiority yet? One last thing, whitey, why was it ok for most of you whities when Nicole Simpson stripped and hitched herself on to OJ who was then a married man, could it be because she had blond hair and blue eyes? Why was she stripping...oh I forgot when you guys do it your trying to become actors and actresses, i.e. Pamela Anderson playboy bunny. Why didn't the media portray Nicole Simpson her as the ho that she was? My point? The girl being a stripper has nothing to do with 3 white men violating her. Just like Nicole being a stripper is not relevant or does not justify her murder. OJ got off cause he had the money...priviledged and then when that happened, you whities wanted to change how juries are chosen. You whities are a trip...its ok for you to do what you want but not anyone else huh, this ain't the 60s baby and the Revolution will not be televised, so while criminalistic white folk still cover up their sadistic behavior and pretend to be innocent know this whitey, the truth will always come to light.
"Lies written down for white folks ain't for us at all...Liberty and Justice huh for all" - Langston Hughes. Any black folk reading this in the words of Spike Lee ya better, "WAKE UP" - cause you can't do what whitey does, keep your third eye open...just cause a dog doesn't show his teeth doesn't mean he don't bite.
Signed me: Tired of YT
4/20/2006 5:45 PM
Who takes these surveys anyway....oh why of course its WHITEY and who is polled? WHITEY.
Who cares what the survey or writer says....most rape victims don't even come forward, did she poll people who have been date raped? What are these statistics based on? Gimme a break Y/T. Take your surveys and put it right up there with the rest of your lies. I don't know if the girl was raped or not but the point is an accusation was made it should be investigated and these guys should not be automtically innocent because they are white and priviledged and...because of "surveys that say white men don't rape black women"
NO JUSTICE NO PEACE
4/20/2006 6:03 PM
Kill Whitey!
4/21/2006 11:08 AM
Let me state my position on a couple of things:1) I don't support abortion 2) I don't support the death penalty.
I do support dads who financially support their kids. The fact this chick had two kids is something she was dealing with. Was the dad current on child support or not? If he wasn't, don't you think that had a little something to do about her occupational choice, hence the fact she was running around naked at midnight?
The reason for quoting the rape statistics is simply to kill the historical reference to "whites raping blacks on the plantation", which is somehow spun into an assumption this is still a commonplace occurrence in the 21st century. It isn't- get over it.
If whites were so intent on keeping minorities down why does the esteemed Duke University claim 37% of its students are minorities? In terms of whites making college so expensive, the last I checked a commuter student could attend NCCU for about $5000 per year. Getting a college degree for less than the cost of a new car is one heck of a bargain.
today i'm a little surprised be the position taken by your black sister Kim roberts, the "second dancer" who this week sent out an email to a PR firm that said "I've found myself in the center of one of the biggest stories in the country," she wrote. "I'm worried about letting this opportunity pass me by without making the best of it and was wondering if you had any advice as to how to spin this to my advantage."
And now we're supposed to believe a rape took place?
I'm getting increasing tired of hearing about white race superiority as the root of all of the black community's problems including this alleged rape. As I look out my window I see the brown man (latino) working the landscaping jobs making $10-$15 per hour. When I visit my yellow friends (Asians) I see them busting their asses in school then working 6-7 days per week to get ahead. You know what they don't give a shit about white superiority. Maybe it's time for some of these posters to "get over it" already.
Your dear friend whitey
4/21/2006 11:23 AM
Whitey -
Nobody cares as much about this issue as you. You must at some point ask yourself why you are so passionately arguing this point.
BTW, statistics cannot prove whether or not these guys raped this girl. They're statistics. I also agree with the one poster that rape is a crime of power. I am sure that the most-privileged kids commit the most rapes on campuses.
Wow, notice how my statement contained no reference to black or white...shocking, right?!?!??! Now, maybe you can try...
4/21/2006 2:48 PM
I agree with you Cocoa, I've said my piece
whitey's outta here
4/21/2006 3:49 PM
Just because I refuted your "statistics" by pointing out the bad things that some whites take part in, it does not mean that blacks should take no responsibilities for their individual lots in life Mr. Whitey.
I really am not interested in your position on any of the issues I raised earlier, I was making the point that if white people were demonized in the media as often as blacks the statistics would balance out quite well...there are bad people, irresponsible people in every race. I was blatantly making a point that you cannot believe everything you read and see about black people while the same can be said of whites if only their dirty laundry was distributed throughout the media.
I see you conveniently failed to answer the question about Nicole Simpson being a stripper. Why was she stripping? Why didn't folks feel the same way about her and her profession? Or did you?
If an accusation is made that a crime has been committed it should be investigated before a decision is automatically made about who is guilty, who is not and whether or not the act was actually committed.Especially when the judgement is obviously based on race, class and profession. These should not be the determining factors for deciding the innocence or guilt of a perpetrator or a victim's ability to tell the truth. As I said whether or not she is lying it should be properly investigated before the media puts the fix in because the perpetrators are rich white boys.
You actually think 37% of minorities consists of a large amount of black people, in YOUR y/t dictionary minority includes women, asians, indians, blacks, bi-racial, etc. so maybe you should register at NCCU but by all means do not major in Statistics.
I agree with both of you the victim's race and the perpetrator's race should not be the issue when a CRIME has been committed. Yet the media has turned it invariably into this divide as usual...and so it is an issue because if races were switched there would be little doubt at least in the media as to whether or not the crime was committed.
By the way calling your friends "yellow" shows your mentality and if you don't see any black men working outside it tells me a lot about where you are and it also tells me your window is quite small.
I know you can't help yourself and are still checking this blog so I'll leave you with one last thing...I find it very interesting that you can actually state that white guys don't fantasize about black chicks yet you remained on a blog entitled, theHotness Grrrl that contains photos of 95% women of color.
So on that note, I find it difficult to even believe your statements.
You telling me to get over it is indicative that you are well aware of the race superiority that is exercised by many of you whiteys. I hope you are able to get out more often and take a look at the bigger picture of positive black folks who are not covered in the media. Take a good look at our senators, professors, engineers, scientists, etc.
Signed: Really tired of you in particular Mr. Whitey.
4/21/2006 6:51 PM
FYI, The alleged victim was married and comes from a working class family, time to change your way of thinking Whitey with questions.
The alleged victim’s former husband told ESSENCE he was pleased with the indictments, because he wants “to see justice done.” The alleged victim separated from her former husband, a heavy machine operator, after five years of marriage. The case has sparked national media attention and has highlighted racial and class tensions between the elite university and Durham’s Black working-class community.
4/23/2006 8:44 AM
Thamks for this recap and powerful quote! This is just the beginning of the conversation we need to have.
4/23/2006 9:51 PM
Black Beat Down! Feeling the aftereffects of so many generations of racism and occupying the back burner postion in American society, few have the strength, much less the inclination, to march, protest and raise general hell in pursuit of respect and basic humanity. Well, time to buck up, take vitamins, meditate, pump up, work out, do whatever is necessary to get back in the game people. The time is NOW!
4/25/2006 2:54 PM
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