[Vision2020] Double Standard

[Sunil Ramalingam]

The treatment of the Duke lacrosse players was shameful and I'm glad they 
were exonerated.  And since I didn't join in any chorus against them when 
the charges were first brought, I'm quite comfortable that I'm being 
consistent by not screaming for anyone's head here, when the charges have 
not been tried.  As far as I'm concerned, the people facing charges here are 
innocent, and will remain so until they plead guilty or a jury decides 
otherwise.  And in the latter instance, I still may think they're innocent, 
if I have sufficient facts to draw that conclusion.

I disagree with your claim that if a white kid had committed this battery, 
he'd be hung out to dry already.  Most batteries in Latah county don't have 
a tenth of the publicity this one has had.

You criticize the treatment of the Duke kids, and yet you're demanding the 
same rush to judgment here.  I think it would be preposterous to suspend 
this kid before his trial.  Worse crimes have occurred and students have not 
been suspended.  If he's found not guilty, or if this case is dropped, how 
does he get back his semester?  No, I hope reason prevails and there is no 
suspension.  If he's found guilty or pleads guilty, then a decision can be 
made with more facts at hand.  Just because some witness says something, or 
an officer writes something in a report does not mean that's actually what 
happened.

Warren's post about ownership of certain words is on the money.  There's an 
ugly Tamil word used for dark-skinned Indians (and I'm talking sub-continent 
here).  My brother and I use it for each other sometimes, and we both 
understand we're being ironic, and we both know that if we  used it as an 
insult on a stranger, we'd be inviting a foot up our asses.  If I went and 
used that word on some other Indian I don't know, I know I'd be insulting 
them with a word intended to be hurtful and I'd deserve to be condemned for 
it.

I won't pretend I think it's great for African Americans to use that word, 
but I don't have a problem with the idea that I don't get to use it, or that 
you don't either.  I never had a problem with that, and I cannot understand 
why you do.  I cannot understand your posts on this issue at all.  It almost 
seems that you are saying, 'If they use it, what's wrong with me using it?'  
Sorry, doesn't work.  If you're going to use that word, you're going to get 
labeled, and you've earned it.  I hope that isn't what you're saying, and if 
I've misinterpreted what you've written, I'm sorry, but that's what I end up 
with every time you post on this.

Sunil


>From: "J Ford" <privatejf32 at hotmail.com>
>To: vision2020 at moscow.com
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Double Standard
>Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2007 13:59:04 -0700
>
>
>Why?  Why is it WE are held to one standard and they to another?  When
>others have had "allegations" made against them, a crowd is gathered,
>protests are made and a business is closed or family(ies) hurt in one
>fashion or another.  This is FACT!
>
>The "allegations" against Butler and his "crew" need to be looked at as 
>what
>they are - a hate crime that landed one person in the hospital.  You think
>that young man beat himself up?  NO!  He ID'd Butler (who was in a class
>with him at the UI).  You think that man is just makeing a a mistaken ID?
>Don't think so.  I believe Butler deserves to loose his eligibility and
>should be expelled from the UI.  What he DID DO was not only criminal, it
>was morally just wrong.  If this were a white kid that did this, you know
>bloody well he'd be hung out to dry even before his pre-trial 
>conference(s).
>   Look at what happened to the Duke kids.  AND THEY WERE INNOCENT!!!
>
>The use of "nigger" in ANY context is either acceptable for EVERYONE or for
>NO ONE...can't be dancing on that fence forever.
>
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>
>J  :]
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