Immorality Play

• Published in: American conservative (Arlington, Va.) Va.), 2006-05, Vol.5 (10), p.12
• Main Author: English, Bill
• Format: Magazinearticle
• Language: English
• Subjects: African Americans; Athletes; Lacrosse; Racism; Rape; Scandals; Sexism; Women
• ISSN: 1540-966X

The first of many e-mails arrived on Saturday, March 25 from a progressive campus listserv. It linked to a local paper's breaking coverage and announced a vigil that evening to be held outside the party house. The feeling I had upon reading that e-mail was much like the sensation of the first tremor before an earthquake. There was no question that a seismic episode was about to commence, only a question as to how long it would take to run it course. Coincidentally, that Monday inaugurated the previously scheduled "sexual assault awareness week" on Duke's campus. Various "women's issues" listservs were immediately abuzz with commentary about the lacrosse team, periodically interspersed with advertisements for the week's events, like "breast-casting," a workshop in which women could make plaster casts of their bosoms to boost their self confidence. By Tuesday, professors began to compose their personal declarations of outrage, e-mailing them to Duke's president and copying everyone they knew. Exuding an air of self-righteous indignation, more than one professor was aghast at the possibility of there being a "culture of privilege" or "underage drinking" associated with the Duke campus, let alone gang rape. Faculty demanded that the lacrosse coach be fired and suggested that players on scholarship have their funding suspended because they hadn't been able to finger the rapist. A professor of law explained that participants of "helmet" sports are statistically more violent to women. Other commentators used this as an opportunity to illustrate how the lacrosse allegation was but one instance of a pervasive climate of racism and sexism. As the news crews flocked to campus, anyone who would speak was given a podium to do so. The rest of the campus joined the nation in doing what anyone would in the face of an impending train wreck: sit back and watch. Along the way, a number of students drew attention to the incongruity of letting these accusations dominate all other real news on campus. In the national media the disproportion was even more pronounced. Day after day the leading story was "Duke Rape" next to some minor event like Iran's enrichment of nuclear fuel. Duke's name increasingly became muck by association. Palm Sunday I visited my parents some 300 miles away. A local Catholic priest asked me what I do. "Well, I study politics." He was uninterested and asked me "where?" out of courtesy as he turned away. "Duke," I began, and suddenly he became interested a