PC Minefield at Duke

MinefieldThose of us who live in Durham, NC, seldom experience the glow of the national spotlight. We have become accustomed to seeing references to the Research Triangle area in the sports pages, but apparently not much else happens here that is worthy of notice by the rest of the country. Maybe that is what has led to the disequilibrium around here, especially among the usually confident voices of the university set who now find a bit of difficulty in hitting their marks and saying their lines in the case of the recent rape accusations against members of the Duke University lacrosse team.

Perhaps people have also been put off balance by the complex convergence of factors required to put Durham in the news. Attracting national attention has required a story combining the popular theme of sports and something else newsworthy–or prurient–enough to attract the notice of the national press. In this case it was that a young African American woman is the accuser and the accused are generally privileged white college athletes who have become rather notorious in the area for their rowdiness and run-ins with the law.

That by itself would make the story a local news item; a few more features have made it national news. The fact that these particular events occurred at Duke University, the Princeton of the South, didn’t hurt their newsworthiness. Besides its status as a powerhouse in both mens and womens basketball, it is also the “safety school” of many a well heeled northeastern high schooler. Thus, many people have heard of Duke, and they relate to it in various ways. It also didn’t hurt to add the convergence of the esoteric and the exotic–the esoteric sport of lacrosse and the titillating world of “exotic dance” inhabited by the accuser.

If all you knew where the broad outlines of the case, this would be a slam dunk, PC-wise. The accuser is a black woman of modest means, and the accused are members of a privileged group, many of whom are white graduates of prestigious prep schools. The typical response to this convergence of gender, race and, class is pre-scripted; the sides are already drawn; it is so simple. Of course you choose the side of the woman, the side of the less fortunate, and the side of the African American, obviously.

Unfortunately in this case, that puts you on the side of a single mother of two who has taken to stripping as a way to meet her financial needs. One must resist the temptation to judge, however, and there is always her status as student at a local university to dwell upon. Still, you have to be a little unsettled that the young lady was already too impaired to perform when she arrived at the crowded little house near Duke’s east campus. Even as you rail against the injustice of a system that forces Black women into early motherhood and exploitation, aren’t you a little concerned at some of her choices and the way they may have affected her children’s lives?

Steering clear of that uncomfortable fact, one can focus on her career in “exotic dance.” Perhaps we then suppose that in her mind, anyway, she had been employed to educate the young men of the lacrosse team in aspects of dance not already familiar to them, something “exotic,” something, perhaps, from the Mongolian steppe, performed in modest but sturdy garb–a costume woven from yak fleece, perhaps. Then things just went horribly, horribly wrong.

I simply didn’t realize the Duke’s lacrosse team’s degree of erudition. Pooling their resources, gathering up hundreds of dollars in the interest of broadening their understanding of world cultures–admirable group of young men, eh?

No, I don’t believe that either. I don’t think we can explain the lacrosse team’s interest in dance by the fact that Durham is the site of the American Dance Festival. And I think most of us are aware that these dancers are paid the first few hundred to walk through the door; the real money comes from what goes on after that.

This story has so many angles, however, so many approaches, that the news hounds could not stay away. When one can write a story to suit any one of a number of disparate audiences, it becomes a gold mine for writers. This being America, the elemental issue of injustice has served as a theme for many a member of the scribbling class. Hand-wringing and indignation have been applied with nearly equal measure.

The real enlightenment we might derive from a situation such as this comes from the peek it allows us to take into the current sociocultural situation in which we find ourselves. We see it in the necessity for mainstream journalists to write the story in a way that will offend as few people as possible. We see it in the implicit trust so many people have put in the words of the accuser. We see it in the righteousness of the District Attorney–and the fact that he is running for re-election at the moment.

Yep, this one has something for everyone, all right. Joe Sixpack weighs in right beside the college president, and it all sounds about the same–well, except that Joe Sixpack might know more about living in Animal House and what “exotic dancers” really do.

Postscript: This recent news story could not have been very welcome:

(April 6, from http://www.wral.com/news/8513890/detail.html?rss=ral&psp=news

According to a 2002 police report, the woman, currently a 27-year-old student at North Carolina Central University, gave a taxi driver a lap dance at a Durham strip club. Subsequently, according to the report, she stole the man’s car and led deputies on a high-speed chase that ended in Wake County. Apparently, the deputy thought the chase was over when the woman turned down a dead-end road near Brier Creek, but instead she tried to run over him, according to the police report. Additional information notes that her blood-alcohol level registered at more than twice the legal limit.

76,222 thoughts on “PC Minefield at Duke

  1. Edwarddex

    Авто портал https://bestsport.com.ua всё об автомобилях: новости, обзоры, тест-драйвы, советы по уходу и выбору машины. Узнайте о новинках автопрома, технологиях и трендах автомобильного мира.

  2. Michaeljoilm

    Современный авто портал https://necin.com.ua мир автомобилей в одном месте. Тест-драйвы, сравнения, новости автопрома и советы экспертов. Будь в курсе последних тенденций автоиндустрии

  3. Juniorskare

    https://reality38261.blogzet.com/detox-examen-de-orina-cosas-que-debe-saber-antes-de-comprar-52593947

    Purificacion para examen de miccion se ha convertido en una solucion cada vez mas conocida entre personas que buscan eliminar toxinas del organismo y superar pruebas de analisis de drogas. Estos formulas estan disenados para facilitar a los consumidores a purgar su cuerpo de sustancias no deseadas, especialmente las relacionadas con el consumo de cannabis u otras drogas.

    Uno buen detox para examen de fluido debe ofrecer resultados rapidos y confiables, en gran cuando el tiempo para prepararse es limitado. En el mercado actual, hay muchas opciones, pero no todas garantizan un proceso seguro o fiable.

    De que funciona un producto detox? En terminos claros, estos suplementos operan acelerando la depuracion de metabolitos y residuos a traves de la orina, reduciendo su concentracion hasta quedar por debajo del limite de deteccion de ciertos tests. Algunos trabajan en cuestion de horas y su efecto puede durar entre 4 a seis horas.

    Parece fundamental combinar estos productos con correcta hidratacion. Beber al menos par litros de agua por jornada antes y despues del ingesta del detox puede mejorar los efectos. Ademas, se recomienda evitar alimentos pesados y bebidas azucaradas durante el proceso de preparacion.

    Los mejores productos de purga para orina incluyen ingredientes como extractos de hierbas, vitaminas del grupo B y minerales que favorecen el funcionamiento de los rinones y la funcion hepatica. Entre las marcas mas destacadas, se encuentran aquellas que presentan certificaciones sanitarias y estudios de eficacia.

    Para usuarios frecuentes de marihuana, se recomienda usar detoxes con ventanas de accion largas o iniciar una preparacion previa. Mientras mas extendida sea la abstinencia, mayor sera la potencia del producto. Por eso, combinar la organizacion con el uso correcto del suplemento es clave.

    Un error comun es suponer que todos los detox actuan lo mismo. Existen diferencias en dosis, sabor, metodo de toma y duracion del resultado. Algunos vienen en presentacion liquido, otros en capsulas, y varios combinan ambos.

    Ademas, hay productos que agregan fases de preparacion o limpieza previa al dia del examen. Estos programas suelen recomendar abstinencia, buena alimentacion y descanso recomendado.

    Por ultimo, es importante recalcar que ninguno detox garantiza 100% de exito. Siempre hay variables biologicas como metabolismo, nivel de consumo, y tipo de examen. Por ello, es vital seguir todas instrucciones del fabricante y no confiarse.

  4. fixEdund

    Добро пожаловать в удивительный мир природы России!

    Кстати, если вас интересует Изучение ООПТ России: парки, заповедники, водоемы, загляните сюда.

    Вот, можете почитать:

    https://alloopt.ru

    Что думаете о красоте природы России? Делитесь мнениями!

  5. Polska Bitradex Recenzja

    Hi there! I know this is kinda off topic nevertheless I’d figured I’d ask.

    Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest writing a blog
    post or vice-versa? My site discusses a lot of the same
    topics as yours and I believe we could greatly benefit from each other.
    If you might be interested feel free to send me an email.
    I look forward to hearing from you! Excellent blog by the way!

  6. ultimate gaming strategy

    Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though
    you relied on the video to make your point. You obviously know what youre talking about, why throw
    away your intelligence on just posting videos to
    your site when you could be giving us something enlightening to read?

  7. Williamsor

    The Minotaurus ICO referral system is paying off big; got extra tokens from invites. $MTAUR’s utility in power-ups makes it more than hype. This project’s got legs.
    minotaurus coin

  8. online canadian casino

    Hey are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m
    new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and create my own. Do you need any html coding expertise to make your own blog?
    Any help would be really appreciated!

  9. Juniorskare

    https://www.mapleprimes.com/users/hirinavpoi

    Headhunter Ejecutivo en Chile
    Seleccionar al ejecutivo ideal puede marcar la diferencia entre el éxito y el estancamiento.

    Nuestra agencia de headhunting ejecutivo está especializada en identificar, evaluar y atraer CEOs, directores y gerentes que impulsan el crecimiento real de las organizaciones.
    Expertos en Búsqueda de Ejecutivos
    Disponemos de dos categorías de programa: Premium más Premium Plus, incluyendo roles funcionales y puestos C-Level. Nuestra metodología validada ha colocado más de 500 ejecutivos con noventa y cinco por ciento de éxito y +200 clientes aliadas.
    Categoría Premium: Líderes de área que logran que la operación rinda cotidianamente a diario. Seleccionamos Director de Administración, Director Comercial, Head de Growth, Head de Producción, Gerente de Talento People y CTO de Sistemas. Cada proceso incluye acompañamiento integral, lectura de ADN + mapa integral del equipo reporting, construcción de marco por competencias, garantía hasta 6 meses y mentoring de onboarding 4 sesiones.
    Categoría Premium Plus: Roles que definen el rumbo competitivo. Considera Gerente General, Chief Financial, Chief Operating, Country Country Head, Chief People y Miembro de Directorio. Incorporamos lectura de clima profundo, evaluación psicolaboral directiva, garantía 4–6 meses y plan guiado de 2 meses con sesiones estratégica.
    Metodología de Selección Directiva
    01 Definición del Perfil: Estudio profundo de competencias y del escenario organizacional; reunión clave con stakeholders para alinear el marco requerido.
    02 Búsqueda Activa: Mapeo y contacto selectivo a ejecutivos de alto nivel, usando network de 10.000 contactos y técnicas de búsqueda directa especializadas.
    03 Evaluación Integral: Evaluación experta, psicológica y de soft skills críticas; entrevistas en 4 etapas con documentación.
    04 Presentación y Acompañamiento: Presentación de shortlist con informes profundos; acompañamiento constante durante negociación.
    05 Integración y Seguimiento: Coaching en la aclimatación del directivo y monitoreo a 3, 6 y doce mes.|periodos.
    06 Evaluación de Resultados: Evaluación de desempeño y retroalimentación de organización y candidato con tableros periódicos.
    Motivos para somos superiores
    100% gestión a medida y bespoke; 60 días promedio de ciclo; 4–6 meses garantía; análisis 360º psicolaboral; gestión integral en todo el ciclo; retroalimentación sistemático.
    Respaldo Comprobada
    Desde hace más de 20 años ejecutamos búsqueda de cargos clave en sector privado y gobierno, cubriendo financiero, otros. Contamos con 500 ejecutivos incorporados, más de 200 organizaciones y una tasa de asertividad del 95%. Nuestro propósito es ofrecer un ciclo de selección discreto, rápido y de impacto relevante.
    Sesión Inicial para Empresas
    Programe su reunión ejecutiva. Incluye: Lectura de necesidades culturales; Clarificación de perfil ejecutivo; Plan de sourcing a medida; Hoja comprometido del proyecto. Confirmación en menos de 24h.

  10. 비아그라 구매

    기뻐하고, 제가 찾고 있던 것을 찾았습니다.

    4일간의 긴 사냥을 끝냈습니다! 신의 가호를, 멋진 날 되세요.
    안녕!

    Thanks , I have just been searching for info about this topic for ages and yours is
    the greatest I’ve discovered till now. However, what concerning
    the bottom line? Are you certain about the source?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *