By now you’ve probably heard the horrific story of Brooke Bennett, the 12-year-old VT girl who was kidnapped and murdered by her 42-year-old pedophile uncle, Michael Jacques. Jacques had also been raping a 14-yr-old relative since she was 9 years old, threatening her with death if she did not comply. To kidnap Brooke, Jacques ordered this 14-yr-old to help lure Brooke by telling her they were going to a party at Jacques’ house.
Now, get this: ABC NEWS IS CALLING THIS 14-YR-OLD RAPE VICTIM JACQUES’ “TEENAGE LOVER” AND “ACCOMPLICE”!!! Then, the author refers to Jacques and Brooke’s 40-year-old stepfather “having three-way sex” with the 14-yr-old girl. NO, THAT IS CALLED TWO MEN SIMULTANEOUSLY RAPING ONE GIRL!
The author is David Schoetz. I want his fingers fucking cut off so he can’t ever write again. I’d settle for him getting fired. I’ve already emailed ABC to protest his victim-blaming language – please help, email ABC. The article in question is here – http://abcnews.go.com/US/Story?id=5300619&page=1 . At the bottom, there is a link you can click on to “share more facts about this case,” or you can express your thoughts through the feedback page, at http://abcnews.go.com/Site/page?id=3052660 . I chose the “share more facts about this case” option, to point out the FACTUAL ERRORS in the article. Such as, a 14-year-old cannot legally consent to “three-way sex” with two adult men; THAT IS RAPE. And incest.
Lots of people have already emailed ABC news to complain, and have posted comments on ABC’s website after the article, but, unbelievably, not only has ABC NOT changed the horrific victim-blaming, pro-rape language in the article, ABC is DELETING COMMENTS that say negative things about the way the article is written. At one point, there were 80-something comments, then the next time I checked, there were only 51. I know of specific comments that were missing, such as my friend’s comment, which she had emailed to me at the same time as she posted it on ABC’s site.
The hideous victim-blaming going on at ABC News is not an isolated incident. NO article that I have found yet about Brooke Bennett’s case uses the word “rape.” Authors repeatedly refer to children “having sex with” adults. ABC calling this 14-yr-old her rapist’s “lover” and “accomplice” further victimizes her, and takes the blame and focus off of her rapist. The only reason this 14-yr-old was following Jacques’ orders to help kidnap Brooke is because this girl FEARED FOR HER LIFE, having been repeatedly raped and brutalized by this man for FIVE YEARS. Previously, Jacques had threatened to kill her or her mother if the girl did not comply. HOW THE HELL can ABC call her his “accomplice”? I hope the girl’s family sues ABC.
In this article by Julia Dunn – http://www.fox44.net/Global/story.asp?S=8618846 – a man who lives in Brooke’s community says: “If anything comes of this I hope it wakes up some of these young girls and keeps them from getting into something like this,” Billings said.
I am outraged that this man said that, such BLATANT VICTIM-BLAMING.
DAVID SCHOETZ, BILLINGS, WORLD: STOP BLAMING RAPE VICTIMS FOR BEING RAPED. BLAME AND STOP THE RAPISTS!
And because I suck at html and can't embed a link, here it is separately: http://womensspace.wordpress.com/justice-for-the-new-jersey-7/
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July 18, 2008 at 10:35 am
The 16th Carnival of the Radical Feminists « Gorgon Poisons
[...] Misfit wants rapists to be held accountable for rape (as they fucking should be) in her post Hold the rapists accountable!. Now, get this: ABC NEWS IS CALLING THIS 14-YR-OLD RAPE VICTIM JACQUES’ “TEENAGE LOVER” AND [...]
July 20, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Curry
Just curse the bastards and move on to enhancing your life and those of women around you … physical action against male insanity does not work, it only hardens them (pun intended) to more extremes of physical action back against us as womankind, a game we cannot win in the physical realm.
Doesn’t it seem to you that the ‘new age’ pagans and other ‘unity’ spirituality buffs (led by so-called enlightened men and the women like Marianne Williamson they influence) would not preach so hard against cursing if cursing did not work?
Believe me, the cursing against evil does not come back to you, if you simultaneously protect yourself and those you love with “All Ways Safe, Always Protected, Under Grace and Eternally Good.” I know. I experiment. I watch change unfold. If all women cursed the oppressors, who knows what might be achieved through the invocation of spiritual power to protect us from harm.
The Dark Mother, Scath, Skadi, Kali … curse and pray to unleash Her cosmic powers against rape and other male insanity of patriarchal normality … who’s to say it might not be more effective than the letter-writing and physical activism that does not seem to work?
Pass this idea around, if you like. I suck at HTML even more than you do (don’t have a blog myself, as a result …) Thanks for the good work you do, and thanks to other cyber-connected feminists who work for our liberation.
August 23, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Sixteenth Carnival of Radical Feminists « Carnival of Radical Feminists
[...] Misfit wants rapists to be held accountable for rape (as they fucking should be) in her post Hold the rapists accountable!. Now, get this: ABC NEWS IS CALLING THIS 14-YR-OLD RAPE VICTIM JACQUES’ “TEENAGE LOVER” AND [...]