Remember when you were a teenager and you hung out with your friends? Think back - what did you do together? Play video games? Watch a movie? Go to the mall? Well, for some teenage boys today "hanging out with the guys" means an entirely different thing. Gone are the days of Twister and PlayStation, or to be more precise, they have evolved into a more sinister, twisted version of "fun." Because when you think about it, why play tag when gang rape is an option?
Fifteen boys - and counting - have been implicated in the horrific, serial sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl. She was the "girlfriend" of one of them, only 13 years old himself. His idea of puppy-love included "gifting" her to his friends. Apparently, after twerking, human sacrifice is all the rage.
But beyond the truly stunning brutality this young girl was subjected to, perhaps the most outrageous thing is the reactions by the boys' parents. One can understand their shock, and hopefully horror, at the realization that their sons - ages 12-16 and all "normative boys from good homes" - were involved in such acts. Their instinct to protect their young form what is potentially an irrevocable blemish on their record is also understandable, but their complete shrugging off of their own responsibility is nothing short of appalling.
Outraged by the police's insistence on arresting the boys, all of whom were released to their parents custody within three hours, some of these parents took to the airwaves where - their voiced digitally disguised - they vehemently professed their children's innocence.
She consented to the acts, they asserted. As if a 12-year-old girl has the capacity to agree to group sex, or the ability to fend off multiple boys pawing at her.
The mother of one of the boys said she has no idea what the police wants with her son. After all, "He's just a teenager with raging hormones." She obviously believes that her 14-year-old son's erratic testosterone levels justify his brutality.
Another father chose the tried and true method of blaming the victim. He adamantly claimed that the girl told the boys she was 17 and that she "seduced" his son. Look at your 12-year daughter, sir. Look at the 12-year-old daughters of your friends. Do you find them seductive? If you do, you are as much in need of help as your son. Perhaps even more.
And then there was the mother who said her son's acts was the result of peer pressure. All of his friends were involved in this, she said. This girl has a reputation of being "easy," she said. What do you expect such a young boy to do?!? At the age of 15, madam, your son is expected to know right from wrong. He is expected to have an inkling of common sense. He is expected to have an independent thought in his head, "cool factor" be damned.
Only one father had the courage to go on the air without disguising his voice. He accepted responsibility for his failure as a parent and saw no need to muffle his mea culpa. "We're stunned. We're hurt. We don't know what hit us, or how this could have happened right under our noses," he said. "We have to get him help. We also have to think about how we can help the girl."
He seemed to be the only one who understood that something else was violated: the parents' code. Parents trust other parents to keep their children safe. It is the unwritten rule upon which all play-dates have been based since the beginning of time. Some of these acts took place in the boys' homes. "Where were the parents" takes on a scary new meaning in this case.
The girl and her parents are dealing with their own form of hell right now. The guilt alone, several family therapists said Tuesday, is enough to devastate a family.
Everyone was quick to blame this on the times we live in.This is technology's fault. All the violence on TV, the free access to online porn, and the images bombarding teenagers from every direction, over-sexualizing pretty much everything and eradicating any form of boundaries or commons sense.
These are all valid concerned, which by no means can be used as excuses; but as one expert put it, the fact is that nowadays parents are afraid to parent, so not to alienate their children. Well, here's a newsflash: teenagers a supposed to hate their parents. It's their divine right. It's in the manual. It's going to happen whether you like it or not, and some therapist will most likely hear about how it's all your fault. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't, so you might as well revoke internet privileges for a week.
From a legal standpoint, the main issue here is that all those involved are minors, meaning the victim and her assailants are protected by the same laws.
The State Attorney's Office has already said that it is highly unlikely that the boys under the age of 14 will be charged at all, and filing charges - let alone securing convictions - against the older boys will be a challenge the State Attorney's Office may not be up to. The best we can hope for in this case is a series of plea bargains carrying "appropriate" community service sentences. Let's just send all of them to their rooms without dessert. That'll teach'em.
The criminal records of minors are sealed and in many cases expunged, so the members of this merry little gang of (alleged) rapists will not go through life labeled a felons, unless of course, their true nature surfaces when their older. Statistics show that these boys have an excellent chance of growing up and becoming sexual predators. Now isn't that something to look forward to
(c)
[Screenshot: TNP]
Full Post
No comments:
Post a Comment