Back in 2012, a freshman at Florida State University, Erica Kinsman, was sexually assaulted by Jameis Winston, the star of the football team, but of course, there were no repercussions to Jameis’s actions. Even though Erica did everything she was supposed to do after she was raped including, reporting the rape, going to the hospital, and having a rape kit performed, Jameis was still not convicted for his actions.
Erica decided to break her silence of her story in the documentary The Hunting Ground and share with the world her point of view of what happened that night. The worst part about this story, is the fact that football and sports has become more important to the school, the town, and the entire country than the well-being of a young girl who was taken advantaged. Even when Erica tried to report her assault, the Tallahassee police officer Scott Angulo asked her to “think twice before filing a report”, saying “Tallahassee is a big football town” and Jameis was their “hero”. Even when Erica decided to report Jameis, the Tallahassee police did nothing for 10 months, even though all of the evidence was there.
The ethical issue that this specific story demonstrates, is one that many girls across the country face today. Why should young girls be blamed for having to go through something so horrific? When Erica’s story became public, she started to receive death threats and abusive messages, all because she was “hurting the reputation of the football star”.
The fact that Jameis was able to escape the ramifications of his actions, only serves to show us of our country’s true priorities. Just because he was the #1 draft for the NFL, the police allowed him to live his life without any ramifications, leaving other young girls at risk of being assaulted. The message that this story conveys is that it is okay to take advantage of girls if you have a high status because that way, there won’t be any ramifications. On what level is that statement ethical? How has sports and status become more important than safety for young women? This is not only an issue of our country’s ethics, but of the priorities we put on the safety for young women and the justice they deserve.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2015/02/19/erica-kinsman-who-accused-jameis-winston-of-rape-tells-her-story-in-new-documentary-the-hunting-ground/
I found this really interesting Em. This is a topic that I follow closely in the news. The injustice that is served to rapers is completely unethical in my opinion as well. It is ludicrous to me that people can actually get away with such violent acts in our country just based on certain privedges. I like how you talked about this specific case in particular
ReplyDeleteEmily, your post is a powerful example of how sports and celebrity can eclipse a horrible crime. What do you think can be done to turn the tide?
ReplyDeleteEmily, your post is a powerful example of how sports and celebrity can eclipse a horrible crime. What do you think can be done to turn the tide?
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a very interesting case that truly shows the ignorance of certain regions of our country. It is hard to believe that in this day and age someone would be able to get away with something so horrible with no consequences whatsoever. Another thing i think is surprising is that i had never heard of this case until now. That could mean that i either do not pay enough attention to what is happening in my world, or the media did not cover it sufficiently. Either way, things need to change.
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