Much delayed: Duke Round-Up

The NYT reports that the Duke men’s lacrosse team will be allowed to play next season, under strict monitering. I have no comment. Really. I don’t.

Virginia Coach Dom Starsia confirmed last night in a telephone interview that he had spoken with a Duke official about the logistics of the program’s return to competition.
“I couldn’t be more pleased,” Starsia said. “I’m sure there will be some parameters for them to return, but it’s a step in the right direction for our sport.”

Let us not allow a little rape accusation get in the way of our good ole boys and their sports.
To elaborate on this Rolling Stone has a good piece on the culture of sex at Duke, the sexual status of Duke lacrosse players and the support that they are getting from family, good lawyers, and other students. The article basically validates that sexual aggression from these guys is not unfathomable, but instead par for the course. . . It is a culture that supports white male aggression and innocence and simultaneously silences the costly mistake this type of aggression makes.

Since the story broke in March, lacrosse parents have descended upon Durham in support of their sons, joining forces with a dozen or so lawyers representing members of the team — including Robert Bennett, who defended Bill Clinton during the Lewinsky scandal, hired as a consultant. The national media have arrived, en masse, and have set up a permanent base camp in Durham. Worried alumni have flocked to town — this Saturday night happens to be Alumni Weekend — filling Durham’s restaurants with hushed talk of the scandal. But yet, here at Shooters, surrounded by a horde of drunken, writhing students, the objects of all this attention — the Duke lacrosse team — are trying to forget all that. They are pounding beers, exchanging high-fives and throwing their arms around one another in brotherly, inebriated affection.
”Laxers,” as lacrosse players are universally known, tend to be the most desired and most confident guys on campus. They’re fun. And they’re hot. It’s something that frustrates and often baffles other young men, particularly those who’ve had girlfriends stolen by these guys. But women understand.

The article is interesting, although she doesn’t go as far as I would like her to (like saying that this is how patriarchy and racism are functioning on the duke campus, but hey it is Rolling Stone). I still think it is important to note that she does bring up how the sexual culture of Duke supports men in the belief that they are entitled to sex. This notion of entitlement is, as I mentioned above, the type of entitlement that does allow for rape to happen.
Furthermore, in terms of white women being complicit in their own oppression, several of the women interviewed in this piece when asked about the rape responded with things like, ” well she was a stripper. . .” Which, in their frame of mind, obviously makes it okay to rape her. Apparently some types of rape are just better left overlooked.
On a final note, in light of all the hateful, racist, sexist comments we recieved from the last post I did on Duke I have decided to keep this thread closed. If anyone has comments they should email them to me and if I think they will add to discussion I will publish them.
I also wanted to shout out to all the folks that wrote in support of me on their own blogs, in comments and sent emails. Your support has allowed me to even begin to write about this shit again in an open an honest way. Specifially thanks to Brownfemipower, Blackademic, Vegankid, Alas, Slant Truth, Blackamazon, Smackdog, and Women’s space and I am sorry if I left any others out, for your support and insightful words. It makes me feel less crazy.
Finally in light of the comments that were geared personally to me about my intelligence, the truth of the matter is if I were white they wouldn’t have been said.
As brownfemipower says in her post. . .

If racialized dehumanization of women of color is what happens on the internet, please please please explain to me again why it is so fucking impossible to believe that those poor little white “boys” could have done what they are accussed of?

We will continue to speak our truths. We will continue to stand in solidarity. Try to silence us and we only get louder!