Dead Bird

Today I posted a Facebook status expressing my opinion regarding the widespread criticism directed at CNN for trivializing the crime committed by the ass clowns in Ohio who are now on their way to Juvie.  I felt the criticism was an overreaction, which I know is not the most popular opinion, but it happens to be mine.  A couple of close friends (from high school whom I love!!!  we were definitely friends in high school.  if you don't get this joke that's okay because you're clearly not still living in Spring of 2012) did not agree with my sentiment and a discussion was had.  I wasn't able to participate in said discussion in real time because I was blowing bubbles and eating snack.  Upon arriving home this evening I found myself caught up in making a late appearance to the party and attempting to clarify my position.  It's just my opinion.  I have a blog, so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone.  Without further ado, I present to you: Dead Bird.

Note to self; don't post controversial Facebook status updates when you have no idea when children will begin waking up in preparation for an afternoon of INSANITY.  That's right, I said children.  There are two and they're the same age, and they're mastering the art of walking and MASS DESTRUCTION.  Second mistake; believing in any universe at any time I could attempt to clarify my points, let alone defend my position while pushing one child on a swing while the other is using a bright pink Fisher Price slide to test the laws of gravity.  My ability to mentally multitask between weighing the ethics of sympathizing with rapists under the age of 18 with the anthropological phenomenon that is modern technology and the increasing ease with which people, specifically young people left behind by Darwin like the children of Neverland, self incriminate and the unsettling power of the Media to sway public opinion and create additional controversy in an effort to boost ratings, while simultaneously reflecting on how far we've come in the engineered development of bubble blowing, encouraging the expression of love through gentleness rather than inadvertently smacking or strangling a beloved peer which then leads to a confusing and unpredicted reaction to a primal, well-meant intention, cataloguing creative ways to articulate to toddlers why we go down the slide, not up (it's not the "right" way, it's the "safe" way), and weighing the pros and cons of disposable verses reusable diapers and questioning how committed I am to saving the planet in comparison to my underwhelming desire to have more than absolutely necessary contact with fecal matter indicative of children who really like fruit, is impressive if I do say so myself.  So forgive me if I came off as flip and pro-rape earlier today.

Again, I did not see the news coverage, I read an article which included a transcript of the controversial comments and sentiments made by CNN anchors.  I don't feel sorry for these boys.  I think their sentence is well deserved and this brand of zero-tolerance needs to become the status quo.  Rape has never been taken seriously enough and while these boys are being appropriately punished, the sad fact is this girl will continue to be wrongfully victimized by the inevitable backlash from rapist sympathizers in her small town.  It's not fair that she's been violated in such a cruel and humiliating fashion and will without a doubt find herself dodging ignorant comments and the stigma of being "the girl who was raped in Steubenville".

Now... *climbing up on my soapbox*;  The verdict has been reached and the boys are going to jail.  Their lives are permanently altered in a negative and very public way, and the invoked punishment barely scratches the surface of vindicating the victim and her family.  However, I don't think it's out of line to report the emotional reactions of the perpetrators and lament the unyielding stupidity and highly inflated sense of self-importance and fabricated expectation of immunity, fed by the unnecessary adoration of concussed minors wearing spandex and protective head gear as they haphazardly plow into each other while they grunt in their own developed language.  Yeah, dudes, it sucks that your life is ruined.  That's what happens when you RAPE SOMEONE.  While it's deserved, they emotionally reacted, and what I find interesting and powerful is the contrast between boys desecrating a young woman in an effort to prove their manhood and dominance over women and the whole town, and then (the same) boys vulnerably weeping in a courtroom because their finally being held accountable in a very serious and permanent way.  i.e. Real men don't rape women, and if they do they will be punished, and you can cry about it all you want but it doesn't change the severity of the consequences.  The message is if you rape someone, you too can and hopefully will find yourself in a courtroom crying like a little bitch because you're the opposite of a man; you're a coward desperate to prove and maintain a sense of superiority.  Everything you have has been taken away because you thought you had the right to violate a human being, and further believed you had the right, or even the impulse, to laugh and brag about it.  And now you can publicly cry in the face of your abundant idiocy.  I don't see this as lamenting their ruined lives, but rather lamenting (I've been in mourning for a while and I haven't seen my reflection in a good long time) the stupidity fueling sexism and the heightened importance of football culture, as well as the overwhelming evidence of reversed evolution because Darwinian theory is no match for the increasing world population and modern technology (and Media).

All this being said, I'm disturbed by the suggestion that I don't qualify as a feminist because I don't see a place for extraneous outrage.  I often feel as though the most staunch and zealous Feminists experience a compulsion to have one last yell.  CNN's coverage was inappropriate and questionable in taste and motive, and I think drawing attention to the counter-productive message sent by their misguided empathy is very much worth discussion.  I don't, however, feel it necessary to light up the torches and KILL THE BEAST.  I can't relate to the outrage, but I think CNN should re-evaluate their approach to covering a story of this emotional magnitude.  I don't think my alliance with the Feminist Movement should be in question because I'm not pissed off.  Disturbed, sure, but not pissed off.  My angry eyes are tired from driving in LA.