March 29, 2007

  • Accusations of Rape

    I was reading an article that was quoting from the Fox News program “Red Eye.” 

    News

    On the program, a few people were discussing the Duke rape case.  They were discussing what should happen if the charges were dropped against the guys in the Duke rape case.  Some of the conversation centered around if charges should be brought against the woman who claimed she was rape if the charges were dropped against the men.

    The woman on the program, Rachel Marsden, said “Charges are laid, charges are dropped.  It happens all the time. Unless she can get charged with mischief and they can prove she lied, then no, [she shouldn't be punished]. That’s the process and the process works.”

    The response of the man to this comment is what I want to focus on.  Greg Gutfeld asked “Don’t you think that being accused of rape is as bad as being raped?”  Here is the link:  Link

    Do you think that being accused of rape is as bad as being raped?

                                                                             

Comments (163)

  • not practically, but morally yes.

  • Um no.

    Look up the symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress disorder.

  • Hell yes, these men have had their lives destroyed.  Blame the media for making this one true.  If the case had been simply tried and then dropped then fine, but they’ve been convicted in the court of public opinion.  They will never be treated the same at school, nor at home.

  • Someone that is accused of being a rapist in order to destroy their career.

    That’s terrible, but rape is worse than that.

    It’s one of the worst things imaginable that can happen to a person.

  • only if they did it on purpose to ruin your reputation and life. but still totally two different things.

  • what is your profession dan??? and are you really chinese? it seems you have all day to post up interesting blogs and stories…

  • You know what would be worse than rape?

    Bright Eyes as elevator music.

    Seriously. That’s violation.

    (I say this because A: bright eyes is nightmarishly terrible and B: I spent far too long today acting as a courier and standing in elevators.)

  • I live in the area and I can tell you that  this “alleged rape” has detroyed not only the men, but it has affected the team, the school, and even the city of Durham. The mayhem that this woman has caused is insane.  These men couldn’t play with the team or  go to class, they couldn’t even walk down the streets of Durham without people pointing and yelling at them. Now to find out that they were telling the truth the whole time?!?!?!!?! After all of the stress and money spent on this? She deserves the punishment  that they would have gotten if convicted.

    period

  • I guess that depends on what the alleged rapist endured due to being accused.  Was he locked up? Banned?  Disowned by family/community?  Etc…

  • It is about as damaging to your reputation as possible, but no I wouldn’t assume it would be quite as traumatizing as a rape itself.

  • In saying that, I think she should be charged.

  • If your innocent of the accusation, I’d say that mentally it’s as bad……

  • I think falsely accusing someone of rape should be a crime, though not in the same league as being raped.

  • In a certain light I believe yes. Their reputation has been ruined. These men are graduating from Duke and some will be graduating late because they fell behind during this fiasco. How do you explain why you graduated late to potential employers. “Oh, I was accused of rape. You might remember me from CNN News, No worries the charges were dropped.”

    I believe she should be charged. She tried to take advantage of these young men.

  • Being falsely accused of rape is horrible but probably not as bad as rape itself. If you are going to charge someone with rape then you had better be able to make it stick. At the very least you should be required to have been raped which I seem to recall that this lady never was.

  • It is not the same. But I do agree that women who put forward charges proven to be false should be open to being charged with legal or civil liability…

  • I believe that in the military if you bring charges against a superior and they don’t stick then the superior can bring charges against you. Perhaps something similar should be present for rape charges.

  • Yes let’s remember this:

    She was a drunk exotic dancer. She was wasted earlier that day and had sex with a man that she knew. She then continued to get blitzed to the point that when she arrive at the house where the party was she passed out! Nobody touched her. She woke up crying rape.

    If you remember later during the process, her story kept changing and she even asked her friend to tell the same story.

  • No… definitely not. It’s rough, but I don’t think there’s much that could compare with rape.

  • Being raped is physically worse than being accused  of rape but this woman deserves to be charged to the fullest! She destroyed their college years and reputations!

  • I think in this case (and this case only), the collective damage from the false accusation of rape might be equal or greater than if the woman had acutally been raped herself. Two big assumptions here is that this woman does not consider rape to be all that abnormal and that to be falsely accused of rape is more traumatic than to be justly accused of rape.

  • Yes, being falsely accused of rape is about as bad as getting raped.

  • About as bad but different so you really can’t compare them.

  • No, of course not. But it’s still pretty darn bad.

  • Definately not.  Being accused of rape can be emotionally damaging and can be an ordeal but its not a violent physical and sexual violation.

  • Their credibility and reputation has gone down the drain. Stupid woman.

  • Not in the slightest. That’s a silly question.

  • “Blame the media for making this one true”
    Posted 3/29/2007 12:48 PM by VassilyJung

    Hah, no, not the media. The absolute idiocy of the public. If people were not so damned willing to believe everything they hear… How many times has Dan posted something about somebody being arrested for some horrible crime? And how many times have the vast majority of the people who responded, done so with some comment about how harsh a punishment the person should recieve, before knowing in any way whether the person is guilty or not?

    As soon as the police say somebody is guilty of something -as soon as anybody in authority says it- most peoples’ reactions seem to be complete and absolute acquiescence. In most peoples’ minds, if somebody in a high position says something, they must have a reason for it, and so, they should be believed, end of story. This results in guilty until proven innocent in the minds of the public.

    And though a person might not any longer be in jail, and the negative role of the official system is done, it is the idiocy and the lingering doubt of the mob who prevent that person- that person who might be proved to be completely innocent- from living any more normal a life than a victom of rape might.

    Who can say which is worse, but they are both certainly terrible.

  • Not necessarily, though it can cause alot of problems for the one being accused.

  • Not even close.  They can move. They can go somewhere else where people don’t know them and they can leave it behind. The woman who is raped is never able to get away from that. She carries it with her for the rest of her life, wherever she goes, it is a part of her present, not just her past. The person falseley accused knows it’s not true.  A woman who was raped never forgets and it is a part of her personal identity (unless it was so traumatizing she does forget, and then there are even further ramifications when she remembers).  Making false rape accusations should be a criminal offense, but it’s nowhere close to as bad as being raped.

  • Dude, only a man would say that. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.

  • as bad as? absolutely not. nothing is “as bad as” being raped. nonetheless, i still think she should be charged with something, since she did after all lie and it was proven.

  • Not even close.  They can move. They can go somewhere else where people don’t know them and they can leave it behind. The woman who is raped is never able to get away from that. She carries it with her for the rest of her life, wherever she goes, it is a part of her present, not just her past. The person falseley accused knows it’s not true.  A woman who was raped never forgets and it is a part of her personal identity (unless it was so traumatizing she does forget, and then there are even further ramifications when she remembers).  Making false rape accusations should be a criminal offense, but it’s nowhere close to as bad as being raped.
    Posted 3/29/2007 1:24 PM by LetMeGoToo
     
    They can MOVE??? Are you serious? Why should they have to give up their lives, school, friends, and family? Besides this case was on TV nationwide. Do you want them to have to move to a different country?
    That by far was the least intelligent reply so far

  • No. A rape is a horrible and irretrievable fact, compared with which a false accusation, bad as it is, is minor and retrieveable (if you are innocent.)

  • hello no. u can never be unraped. if u r accused, people can find out the truth and things will go away.

  • Shouldn’t a measure of damage be the extent to which it disrupts a person’s life? And, if the falsely accused is forced to move to another town or even country, as suggested by distier, then it sounds a pretty fair amount of damage to be.

    Rape victims normally have their identities concealed on newscasts; the accused don’t.

  • The two are not even close.

    However, she should be punished if it can be proved that she purposefully fabricated the charges.

    I hope that the man who said this never has to do an inperson comparison of how much rape is than being accused of it, by the crime being committed to a woman he cares about (or to himself). What a dumbass thing for him to say.

  • Different, because there are two different battles going on.  If you’re falsely accused of rape, you’re battle now is with the public and those around you.  You know that you did nothing wrong but now you have to convince others and change their opinions.  And there are numerous expamples in history of people who were able to disassociate (or ignore) themselves from past actions and go on to be known for other great things and clear their names, e.g. most political figures come to mind.  If you’re raped, that battle is largely with yourself to gain release from the negative emotions that are the by-products of rape and I’m sure that’s a harder battle and one that stays with you through life.

  • Eh.. I don’t know.. That’s very tricky.

    Both are awful; because both damage lives and reputations. But, I try to think of it this way: Which would I rather have happen to me? Be raped? Or be accused of raped? I’d rather be accused.

  • Since with rape charges a guy is seen as “guilty till proven innocent” I’d say yeah. . .pretty much.

  • wow, no. that guy must be retarded. and he’s obviously never been raped.

  • no… but still, i think rape is an obnoxiously touchy subject that is sometimes overblown in certain cases. i think some rape is a lot more horrible than other kinds of rape. there’s slave women getting raped on the middle passage. there’s stranger in a dark alley rape. and then there’s date-rape, which i would go so far as to call preventable. i don’t know what that has to do with your question but who cares. my point is that sometimes you increase your chances of getting raped by being careless.

  • Oh dang.

    I misread your question,

    No.  It’s not as bad to be accused of rape as to BE RAPED DAN.  What are you thinking ? ?

    Rape is a body-issue, that is to say, your body is violated, and you want nothing more to leave it. . .but you can’t.

    Being accused of rape would leave you fearful at the consequences of possible imprisonment, but it’s NOT the same thing.

  • These guys have had their lives raked through the public coals and have irreparable damage done to them. 

    However, never in a million years will what they’ve been through ever be as traumatizing nor physically and morally deprecating as rape. To be physically violated is completely different than to be publically humiliated. 

    Perhaps if they hadn’t been hiring strippers in the first place they wouldn’t find themselves in this position.

  • Not at all.
    Yeah, the accused may be shocked, yeah, they may have some serious case problems… but that is nothing compared to being raped.

  • It is about as damaging to your reputation as possible, but no I wouldn’t assume it would be quite as traumatizing as a rape itself.
    Posted 3/29/2007 12:55 PM by steph843

    I have to agree. Your reptuation is damaged and you do go through a lot of stress, but not anywhere close to the extent that a victim would go through. While an accusization is still harmful, its not anywhere as close to the effects of actually being raped.

  • NO WAY… Not even close to being the same. Rape is horrible…and, no matter what U do- it will always stay there in the back of your mind.Its just not something u can forget.  There’s not a whole lot out there that is worse…

    BUT…

    If she lied YES… She should be punnished…

  • We actually had a case like then about a year ago when I was in high school. A girl accused some players from the football team of raping her when really nothing happened. The results were terrible for the guys. They weren’t allowed to come to school, couldn’t play sports and even had to quit their jobs (I worked with one of them). Though it isn’t rape I believe their should be some kind of punishment for her for causing them public humiliation and pretty much ruining any reputation they had.

  • It’s not the nature of the evidence, it’s the seriousness of the charge.

  • No, not really. But Greg’s a friend of my dad’s. He actually came to our farm on time when I was little (like 6 or something). He and Mr Ron (Ron Gerraci). Mr Ron lost his glasses and we had to look for them all day.
    Greg’s cool.

  • OH MY GOSH!! Absolutely not!
    What a terribly closed-mindedly masculine thing to say!!!!

  • Different, because there are two different battles going on.  If you’re falsely accused of rape, you’re battle now is with the public and those around you.  You know that you did nothing wrong but now you have to convince others and change their opinions.  And there are numerous expamples in history of people who were able to disassociate (or ignore) themselves from past actions and go on to be known for other great things and clear their names, e.g. most political figures come to mind.  If you’re raped, that battle is largely with yourself to gain release from the negative emotions that are the by-products of rape and I’m sure that’s a harder battle and one that stays with you through life.
    Posted 3/29/2007 1:38 PM by jnalupta
     
    That person says it fairly well.
     
    no… but still, i think rape is an obnoxiously touchy subject that is sometimes overblown in certain cases. i think some rape is a lot more horrible than other kinds of rape. there’s slave women getting raped on the middle passage. there’s stranger in a dark alley rape. and then there’s date-rape, which i would go so far as to call preventable. i don’t know what that has to do with your question but who cares. my point is that sometimes you increase your chances of getting raped by being careless.
    Posted 3/29/2007 1:46 PM by play_up
     
    Okay.
    Does it really matter how the rape happens? It’s the fact that you were violated that matters.  Dividing it up into “really violent” “semi-violent” “date-rape” is rather pointless, since it’s not a matter of How it happened but THAT it happened that really hurts you in the long run.

  • No and that counter-argument is a waste of time. There is plenty of evidence that the duke rape accuser either lied (deliberately misled people) or is extremely delusional. And IF she lied (as opposed to being delusional) then she ought to be charged criminally. Nifong should also be criminally charged.

  • errr…. it’s bad, but no way is it as bad as being raped!

  • I think that if you convict someone if rape, and they are innocent, you deserve to take the punishment instead.

  • I think the point here is that these men have felt a great deal of stigma that has been unwarranted and the idea that the person who laid the stigma upon them through false statements is, in and of itself, a violation. I don’t think a false accusation of committing a crime can ever equated of being a victim of that crime.

  • No.

  • Nope. accusations are just words. Rape is a physical action against you. words can be proven wrong, but no one can take the physical AND mental AND emotional pain from an actual rape back.

    Though accusations against innocent people are wrong and can be devestating, its not even close to being the same thing. That guy was an idiot.

  • NO!!! living your life with more psychological trauma than anyone could imagine, a complete loss of trust in any man, utter fear of new situations — how dare he say that the most brutal physical and emotional act be the same as slander.

  • No, I wouldn’t say that. But I know that I would definitely have a hard time coping if I were accused of a rape I didn’t commit. For one, it would damage my reputation, even if I was proven innocent. And I’m sure there would probably be a lot of mental anguish within an innocent man between the time he is accused and the time he is proven innocent.

  • No, but charging the prosecutor is an interesting question.

  • Ethically, yes.

    Though I am not an expert on the case. There are Libel, and Slander laws in place.

    Can they prove she lied, or does she really believe they raped her? Now for someone who knows nothing about the case, I am taking this stance, and asking these questions.

    Job Interview one.

    “Oh so you have been charged, before but were pardoned.”
    What was the charge for…

    Employers have a right to ask about prior offense to your record.
    And the notion of someone being a rapist does something psychologically to a person.

    Post traumatic stress may be relevant to a surviver of rape.
    What consequences does someone who is convicted of rape face?
    One who is innocent?

    It can drive sane people insane, as it asks the individual to question there sanity, even if they know the title they are given is not true.

  • If you are falsely accused, then charges should be brought against the accuser for libel and slander.  It’s like sexual harassment suits at work, if you bring a false complaint against someone, and they find out that it’s false, then you get fired, just like if you did sexually harass someone at work, you get fired.

  • They’re both really embarassing.

  • yes! That really stains a persons integrity..

  • It’s completely different.  Rape is one of the worst things that can possibly ever happen to you.

  • Either / or fallacy.

    No, being accused cannot be the same as something that is different.  However, both being raped and being accused of rape are awful in their own way.

  • No! You can get cleared and pardoned. People will hear you were innocent. You will be sometimes considered a martyr.

    But even if your rapist is caught it does not change the fact you were raped.

  • It’s not as bad as being raped, but it is, in a sense, a form of rape.  The false accusation has forced undeserved suffering upon them.  It would be right and wise for our legal system to have some built in accountability so that people will not feel liberty to level charges against others on a whim. 

  • I think that being accused of rape is NOTHING like the actual act.

    I don’t think she should be charged…

    If she falsely accused them, completely, she will have to live with that guilt and meet her maker one day.

    Ash

  • There is almost nothing worse than being raped.  Being FALSELY accused is, of course, completely wrong, and can be at least temporarily life-destroying, but usually it’s temporary.  Being raped has lifelong ramifications.  Anyway, it’s like comparing apples and oranges.

  • I suppose you mean being wrongfully accused of rape.

    It’s not as bad. You’re reputation may be damaged, but you are not traumatized. Furthermore, if you have a solid reputation to begin with, then at least some people will believe you’re innocent. If you’re raped, then you’re raped. There’s not much consolation.

    That being said, I think the woman should be liable for her false accusation. That would be a civil case for slander, I suppose.

  • NO, but it still sucks ass I’m sure.

    Stupid bitch who lied about being raped should have her name published.

  • “If she falsely accused them, completely, she will have to live with that guilt and meet her maker one day.”
    Posted 3/29/2007 4:01 PM by AJE7272

    So you suggest that we, as a society, rely on the punishment we hope will be handed out by one’s ‘maker’, rather than actually doing anything ourselves? Or do you suggest we only refuse to provide an actual punishment to those who indulge in slander and/or libel?

  • Perhaps if you’re innocent… But they’re not.

    Since the boys have a huge history of deplorable behavior, I suspect that something happened.

    Some people that live in my area may distinctly remember a situation where they sent strippers running naked down the street covered in oil. (You see, they were wrestling, among other things.)

    Take that evidence as you will, there still is no fact that completely condemns them, but judging from their reputation, they’re not model citizens.

  • I would like to point out that this is another situation where people choose a side without knowing the important facts.

    I also find that those who know very little are the most passionately thick-headed.

  • either way your life is ruined and you have to rebuild.

  • absolutely positively not that is downright offensive.
    GOD THAT MAKES ME SO MAD

  • Obviously suffering a physical attack as violating as rape is worse.  However, this women should be sued for slander and deformation of character!

  • i don’t think any of those men realize how bad rape is because they’ll never have to worry about it. ever.

  • Oh my god, people are still talking about the Duke Rape Case? -Please-… Anyway, yes, I think in a way it is similiar…Even if it’s true or not, it’s something that’s going to follow you around for most of your life.

  • Not AS bad as being raped, but pretty high up there.

    I’d rather be raped than abondoned from society.

    -Jacob

  • Yes.

    Can you imagine being ACCUSED of rape? Everyone would know your face and name. People who might interview you for a job would be biased against you. You would have no friends. It’s likely your family would hate you. Your life would be RUINED.

    At least if you were raped, there would be people there to support you. The person accused of rape would have no one.

  • not at all.. not at all.  I think that’s a silly question to ask to tell you the truth. I don’t see how it can even compare.  What that’s like saying,. “whats worse being accused of murder or.. being murdered”… espically in this case.. because the men didn’t do it.  I guess it would be another story is they were found guilty…

  • Um. No. Why would you even ask that?

    While being *fasely* accused of rape is terrible, it would be no where NEAR actually being raped.

  • but in any case… Rape is far worse… 

  • I think that being FALSELY and MALICIOUSLY  accused of rape is nearly as bad due to what it does to ones reputation, and the fact that there are people in our society who will always believe they are guilty no matter what. I think anyone knowingly bringing false charges should be tried by a jury, and if convicted should face the same sentence the falsly accused would have if convicted.

  • after reading through the first two pages i would have to rephrase the question in order to answer it properly. but first to address it as is; having been falsely accused of heanous deeds (though not in the legal system because the people making the accusations knew they were false.) i can attest that a false accusation IS very traumatic, and in my case i still have nightmares even six years later. so it is bad. it is traumatic, anyone who says otherwise speaks from ignorance. but i still dont think it’s AS bad.

    now to rephrase; is making a false accusation as bad as commiting a rape. before i give my answer,which will most likely be controversial, i will say i believe rape should be a capital offence. guilty of rape, you die preferably publicly. no appeals no mercy, only swift justice. i think this nation(USA) has forgotten how to protect peronal dignity and that is disgusting.

    having said that, i think that levelling a false accusation is worse for at least three reasons.
    1)you do destroy the lives of the ones you accuse and their families if they have one.
    2)you trivialize the suffering of women who have actuall been raped
    3)you cast doubt on th credibility of real victims.

    for these reasons i believe the false accuser is worse than the rapist.

  • Being confused doesnt even come near the pain of rape. Emotionally and Physically.

    nowhere close.

  • HELL NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BEING RAPED IS WORSE BY AN UNCOUNTABLE AMOUNT!!!!!!

  • Not that it wouldn’t be awful to be falsely accused of it, that IS horrible, but BEING raped, worse.

  • I have to laugh out loud at “Being confused doesn’t even come near the pain of rape”. Confused, accused, who’s keeping track, really?

  • Both cause irreparable damage.  I still think being raped is worse, but it is an interesting point the guy brought up.  False accusations still tarnish reputations.

    From what I can gather, this woman should have to make reparations for trying to make some money by slandering some rich white kids.  That’s despicable and a slap in the face to any girl who’s ever been raped.  Sometimes I think the people who are bringing ridiculous charges against other parties should have to pay court costs, lawyer fees, etc.

  • “Worse actually, these young men could have their lives destroyed by accusations of rape.”

    And apparently either a man’s life or a WHITE man’s life is worth more than the rape of a woman, or the rape of a black woman, but actually, she was just a whore, probably a crack whore right?

    Why argue on the internet? I will just be retarded. Then again, most people are…

  • You know, ass a passionate commenter, I know almost nothing of this case…

    :P

  • Would you rather go through physical traumatic perpetual emotional suffering or be accused of afflicted that on someone?

    I bet you he DID rape her. The idiot.

  • Those little rich bastards were pricks anyhow.  I don’t feel sorry for them.  Plus, I still think they are guilty as hell.

    Nothing is as awful as rape.  It’s the worst violation that can happen to a person.

    If there was an innocent person accused of rape, it would be a bad thing–but definitely NOT worse than being raped.

  • Hell yes!

  • Benjimon76, though sarcastic, is right on

  • they didnt rape them, so this discussion should even be happening

  • I won’t dignify that question with an answer.

  • It can be, it can even be worse if he is convicted than made a whore out of

  • uhm it sucks… but you have to be crazy to even think that… rape is practically the worst thing ever…

  • of course it is! slander is very serious.

    she’s just a slut after some money >:

  • There’s an easy way to find out the answer. Somebody quick, rape one of those boys and then ask them which was worse.

    Being accused of rape can fuck you over, but seriously, most everyone will forget about this in a few years and they’ll move to another state and get on with their lives.

    Once you’ve been raped, that’s it. You don’t forget and you never really get over it. And if you tell people, they’ll always look at you in that pitying way and if you don’t, you’ll be trapped in a state of emotional turmoil.

    Now compare which is worse. Being a social leper for a while, or having this blemish in your mind forever.

  • Maybe not as bad, but it’s still pretty bad.  They both are going to make it difficult for the person to deal with future relationships.

  • Yes….but in  VERY different way.

  • Obviously the person who said that has never been raped. Obviously.

  • Not by any stretch of the imagination!

  • UMMM… in terms of violent crimes, rape is classified as second only to murder. Therefore, rape is considered the most violent crime you can survive. With this in mind, do I think being accused of rape is the same as rape? HELL NO. Yes, fraud is terrible, ruining reputations by falsely accusing is terrible, lying on your taxes is terrible. These are all things that a person can be charged with. The fact that the punishment for these crimes is far less than the punishment for rape is because they are not the same.

    It makes me very sad to see that some people believe that these two things are the same.

  • I do like thewhoo’s rhetoric:

    “what’s worse: being accused of murder or being murdered?”

  • red eye is my favorite show.

    i dont care much for rachel though.

    that british soldier guy they always have on there though…kevin…wow….i love him.

  • I’m only assuming, but I’m going to think the rape victim suffers more.

  • Physically, no.  Mentally, if you are innocent, yes.

  • If the guy accused is innocent, then the answer is yes.  For a women to claim rape against an innocent man, she should be prosecuted.  It is women like this stripper who brought false charges against those Duke players, who make it hard for women who are actually raped to report the rape.   People don’t believe them because of false statements made by some women about rape.   It taints all women.  The book should be thrown at this woman.   

  • i don’t think any of those men realize how bad rape is because they’ll never have to worry about it. ever.
    Posted 3/29/2007 4:26 PM by freckles67

    Uh.  Men can be raped too, you know.

  • well, id say no – yet i wonder how badly tarnishing someone like that will affect them as well, especially if the charges were false. I think both are horrible in their own way. But since rape is both physical and pychological, while the thing with the guy would be pychological.. i think rape would be worse.

    Daniel (dobuledb)

  • No, I don’t think that being accused of rape is as bad as being raped, though I am lucky enough to say that I have never been in either situation.
    There is so much that one can say about this subject.
    I definitely agree with the points brought up that people lying about a crime makes it more difficult for future victims to report crimes and be believed. It’s a dangerous side effect.
    Also, I thought that this is the type of case in which the falsely accused could charge her with slander, defemation of character, maybe emotional trauma…Obviously, this would only be done if they could prove that she purposefully faked all of this. I would hope that it wouldn’t become normal in cases where someone is cleared of rape, b/c then the backlash could have victims even more afraid of speaking out.

  • No, I don’t.  Reputations will mend with time. Integrity can be restored.  Rape leaves gaping. though unseen wounds festering in every aspect of the being…body, soul & mind.  Only grace makes the memory even bearable.

  • No; the stigma associated with being accused of rape is an external one, the trauma of being raped is an internal one.

  • I’d say yes it certianly can be. The lonliness and the depression caused by beeing accused of rape, (your friends leaving you, girlfriend/boyfriend) I say would be pretty darn cloe to the trama you get from actually beeing rapped..

    Kill em all let God sort em out.

    have a daisy, Leveran 

  • It is bad. I dont think it is as bad as rape, but it is a horrible thing. It ruins the persons life and may even drive them to take there own life.

  • I agree with lead_mare
    “For a women to claim rape against an innocent man, she should be prosecuted. It is women like this stripper who brought false charges against those Duke players, who make it hard for women who are actually raped to report the rape. People don’t believe them because of false statements made by some women about rape. It taints all women. The book should be thrown at this woman. “

  • I cant see it being anywhere was bad. but its one hell of a accusation and it would leave scars

  • Are you fucking SERIOUS???? NO it is not the same! Only a man could say something like that. Fucking hell. I’m sorry, that just makes me so damned mad. What an idiot.

    I agree that if you’re falsely accused of rape it can wreak havoc on your reputation and that damage is hard if not impossible to repair. However it is entirely different from being raped, having your BODY be abused, violated, even mutilated, having to worry about whether your rapist impregnated you, having to testify against your rapist and then living in fear of him, or someone else, retaliating or the whole thing happening again. I myself have luckily never had to experience any of this. But I know enough about it to be outraged by this sort of a statement.

  • NO!

  • yea i believe so..  it screwed me up for years…

    I really don’t even understand how some people can lie like that… 

    I think i still am screwed in some sense.

    j

  • Yes.  People will always think that you may have done it and got away with it. 

  • sigh..  i guess i should explain little more.. 

    i lost all my friends at school, I couldn’t think the same way towards females anymore..  everyone at school looked at me like a rapist..  I couldn’t be friends with guys who put chicks before guys.  i hated females for years..    I had messed up relationship with everyone..  and bunch of other stuff..

    let’s not think accusation will only last for that little time..  it can effect you for years.

    and also just a few notes..

    I’m still a virgin.. 

    i’m much better now then ever before, because Jesus has healed much of my pains, and still healing me

    Jae

  • She should not have done what she did. (period) Ruining those guys’ lives is a form of abuse, sure, but in no way does it even come close to comparing to being raped.

  • ..Oooo, that makes me angry that some one could say that. The more I think about it, the more angry I get.

  • Being raped is bad but be accused of something you did not do is bad as well, maybe not on the same level but she deserves some kind on punishment. God hates lies & he will judge all liars accordingly. All liars will find themselves separated from God.

    Satan lied, Satan is the father of all lies, lies = sin, lies destroy peoples lives, lies hurt people, lies have killed people, lies have brought down governments,lies have destroyed relationships, etc.

    The Bible says:

    But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. -Revelation 21:8

    And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. -Revelation 21:27

    For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. -Revelation 22:15

  • Interesting…

  • No way. Being raped is much worse. But those guys have had their lives, if not ruined then partially shattered because of this.

  • are you serious? being raped causes so many psychological problems, and can stunt aspects of your lives and leave you sleepless for a long time…being the accused only smears your “good” name.

    Honestly, who screams rape unless it’s true? the judicial system on rape is so messed up and backwards. the cops sit there and reem your ass for getting raped, and then they are nice to the accused and try to make it all seem cool..interrogation and humiliation shouldn’t be on the victims.

  • To a degree..because being accused of rape and having your name on the media is just as terrifying when you know you didn’t rape anybody.

  • Again, I’m totally amazed at the insensitive way you phrase some of your questions.  I only hope to God that your mother, sister, wife or daughter never has to experience being brutalized like this.  I’d feel even more sorry for them for having you as part of their support structure.  Obviously you have NO freaking clue that it’s more than a physical violation of a person.  Like I said before….tell us Dan… would you rather have your dick cut off slowly with a rusty razor blade or leisurely chewed off by a pit bull?  If you pick razor blade, tell us if you’d rather have it cut off by a stranger or someone you know?

  • not the same. nothing compares to being raped, especially if you survive the violation.

    but i will say that i feel SO bad for the guys who got accused because they went through a LOT. but don’t be mistaken. i’m sure those boys have jobs and everything right now…late graduation and all. (yes i know one of them had a job offer rescinded in the midst of the accusations…i’m sure he’s employed by now.) i graduated from duke and was there when the whole fiasco went down. i saw the support that was drummed up for those young men from our classmates, some of the media, and alumni. i’m sure they’ve washed their hands of the whole situation or will soon.

    nothing excuses what they accuser did to those young men, to the reputation of Duke University, or to the city of Durham and its residents. absolutely NOTHING.

  • I think this question was horribly phrases but does bring up interesting issues. The real issue is how damaging is a false accusation? Partiucalarly being accuses of rape. I would say that being falsely accused of rape is one of if not the worst false accusation that you can receive. From talking to people I think rape is such a horrible thing that it is worse then being falsely accused. However the real question Dan needs to ask about is how bad is it if the falsely accused winds up spending the rest of there lives in jail? I think that if it can be PROVED they are being falsely accused it should be a harsh sentence against the accuser.

  • How dare that man say such a thing? See, men don’t understand because it it very difficult for them to be raped. However, receiving public shame and embarrasment is NOTHING compared to be violated in the worst way. To have someone take complete and merciless control of your body…it’s disgusting.

  • yeah it’s horrible, but a man can be misidentified, it’s not all done on purpose.

    you can’t just trip and rape someone ‘accidently’.

    rape is worse

  • i think being raped is worse than falsely accusing someone, but i think she should still be charged with a crime. what she did was wrong. she also caused the waste of a lot of taxpayer dollars with her false claims. that should be considered a crime.  and the guys she falsely accused should be allowed to sue her.

  • It all depends on your views. Personally, I think it is much worse to be raped than accused of it, even if it is bad to be accused. I mean, you’ve been violated against your will!

  • Well, think of it like this: Someone has RAPED your reputation. someone has RAPED your time. Someone had RAPED your career and possibly your future. In RAPED, I mean that they took it without your consent. These guys did not even see this coming (assuming they are innocent), and then this girl up and comes out with accusations like this? I think they got RAPED hard, just without the physical pain. But look at it like this: If you are physically raped, then people feel sorry for you. If you are ACCUSED of raping someone, then everyone looks down on you like you are a piece of trash, until the whole situation is forgot about….which will be a looong time. thats just my thoughts…..

  • No, but being accused is down right awful, it ruins any reputation or credibility you once had. If your charged that stigma will follow you for life. You’ll find out who your true friends are though, cause not many people want to be seen with someone accused of rape.

  • Speaking of being accused when you are nt guilty, No. That’s ridiculous. It has it’s own set of humiliation and cultural stigmatization on it’s own though it shouldn’t be paralelled with the damaging emotional and physical effecrs of rape. Isn’t that set under the logical fallacy called the undistributed middle?

    …btw, I hate that ‘RED EYE” show. Ridiculous and unprofessional journalism at it’s best. Although it seems that FOX news is enjoying heading in that direction here lately.

  • i don’t think you can compare the two. however i have a friend who was falsly accused of rape and it would have ruined his entire life had the police not caught her in the lie.

  • no, you don’t have the memories of someone taking away your innocence and replacing it with shame.

  • Yes. Doubt will always follow the men accused.

Post a Comment

Leave a Reply

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