NBC and the Rape Culture

This morning, The Today Show ran an interview with convicted pedophile Jerry Sandusky. The film maker, John Ziegler (a conservative) said that his "focus is on Paterno". He wanted the former head coach at Penn State to "have his day in court." (USA Today, 3/25/2013). I can only say that since Joe Paterno is deceased the 'day in court' angle is neither here nor there but the interview with Sandusky is immensely relevant for the very fact that it occurred at all and that NBC aired it.

I will not discuss the content of the interview with Jerry Sandusky. What I will say is that Mr. Sandusky had HIS day in court and was found guilty on 45 counts of child sexual abuse (Ibid). What is the point of dredging this up again when Sandusky is currently serving at least 30 years in prison?

The possibility is that he is appealing his conviction and the extra attention received in the course of justifying his behavior would serve to influence the court of public opinion. If so, that is a vast misjudgment. To bring up the past puts public light on the behavior for which he was convicted. Forty-Five counts is way past overwhelming and he would have done better to remain silent rather than bring it all up again and remind us all just how vile and disgusting and criminal his behavior was.

What this interview DOES do, however, is illustrate that sexual abuse and violence are a horrible part of our culture and that there are those who try to justify the behavior and blame the victims.

In Steubenville, Ohio, the community was deeply divided by a rape trial which should not have been so controversial. The young men were found guilty of rape but face extremely light sentences to be served in the juvenile system. There is no reason that the community should mourn these sentences except that the two young men were looked up to as football players on the high school team. Football in Steubenville is as big a deal as anywhere else in the United States. In the view of the Steubenville community, to cast a dark light on two star players is to cast the entire town that way. This is not strictly true, of course.                                                       

Steubenville is only guilty in the sense that the entire community refuses to believe, and covers up, the truth. Denial is not a crime though conspiracy is. Allegedly, there was some indication that the coach had some knowledge of the rape and failed to report what he knew. Teachers and school personnel have a legal (and moral) duty to report sexual violence and abuse. Failure to do so is a crime. That should be investigated.

What the Sandusky and Steubenville cases illustrate is the extent to which society will go to cover up and excuse rapists and pedophiles. It is not just in the community around high school football or even college football but in the culture in general. It is just more noticeable when it happens among star athletes or their coaches.

Ask any woman who makes the courageous decision to press charges against her rapist - it is tremendously difficult to get many people, let alone an entire jury, to believe her. Even her family and friends will doubt her account if the accused is a "model citizen" and "pillar of the community". The victim is all too often blamed and stigmatized.This is true to some extent, even with children victims.

 Women and children who have been victims of sexual abuse and violence are told by society that their experiences are not to be believed. Even if their accusations are true they are often viewed as far less important than the suffering the accused is going through, even though their situation was one of their own making.

This culture in the United States and many other countries needs to change. Victims cannot continue to be blamed and punished for crimes against them. Women and children, while seen as 'weaker' are traditionally held to be somehow of less value than adult males. Women are told they are guilty because of their clothes or because they are beautiful. In many countries they have to wear burqas and children are told it is better for them to be seen and not heard. Women are often physically punished for crimes against them. This needs to cease being acceptable. Rape or child sexual abuse are not acceptable at any time. It is time to stop letting the Jerry Sandusky's and star athlete rapists of the world off the proverbial hook. They must be held accountable and the victims must cease being blamed.

There ought never be a case when the convicted abuser is given free air time to try to justify their behavior. NBC was wrong to air that interview with Sandusky and they OUGHT to face a backlash from viewers. By putting that interview on, they gave the impression that Sandusky's experience was somehow to be pitied or sympathized with, just like the CNN anchors who sympathized, on air, with the two Steubenville young men found guilty for raping a teenaged girl. This kind of tacit public approval for criminal behavior must stop. NBC was wrong and, I, for one, will never watch the Today Show  again.