The Purity Myth

asshat · 06-09-2009, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr dave

@ asshat - you're definitely on the mark about the stigma involved in these types of cases. however, in the examples i provided, the female 'victim' was distraught at the idea of being legally prohibited from seeing the teacher. SHE was showing up to court in tears and hoping to stay together.

That's what I meant. In the case of the girl even if if she makes it quite clear that everything was consensual, they assumed that she's been brainwashed, taken advantage of etc. All a teenage guy has to say is that he didn't think he was taken advantage of, and all the female teacher has to deal with is getting fired, and like you already mentioned, house arrest.

...personally I don't have a problem with the way most of the female sex offenders are handled.(conflict of interest=loss of job, and some minor legal penalties), because I can put myself in the victims place, and I know that any long term sentence would be disproportinate to the actual damage the crime caused. I can't put myself in the female victims place so I don't have any insight into what's a fair punishment.

I think the statutory rape laws have a lot to do with a lot of fathers....and the stereotype is true for a lot of dads...they'll be ambivalent(sort of proud/sort of concerned) about their son getting lots of women, but they'll grab the shotgun when someone elses son is having relations with their daughter.(at least in alabama). When you have something that's inconsistent as these laws, the sentences are going to be a bit prejudiced.

mr dave · 06-10-2009, 01:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asshat

...personally I don't have a problem with the way most of the female sex offenders are handled.(conflict of interest=loss of job, and some minor legal penalties), because I can put myself in the victims place, and I know that any long term sentence would be disproportinate to the actual damage the crime caused. I can't put myself in the female victims place so I don't have any insight into what's a fair punishment.

i'm down with everything else you said but i can't find myself totally agreeing with this. i suppose it's a valid justification for the lighter sentences but in this situation i simply defer to my previous comment about flipping the genders. if a male teacher liquored up a female student he first met in elementary school would house arrest seem like a fitting punishment?