I don't read the Guardian but....

[psychochicken]

...someone posted this on Facebook and it made me (a) piss myself, and (b) wish I was elequent enough to put it like that because it's exactly how I feel about it. But then I started following links and got sucked in and found this, on a not entirely unrelated topic, with which I also agree wholeheartedly.

Oh dear. Does this make me a pseudo

Comments

[anthrokeight]

I must be a pseudointellectual wannabe middle class pain in the arse because the second article is Guardian-blog for what I've been saying in Anthro-speak all along.

Dawkins-esque atheism as perpetuated by urban hipster emo-kids of Minneapolis is a form of neo-colonialism, and it pisses me right off.

I also think Roman Polanksi should be extradited and sentenced (as well as tried and charged for fleeing) which means I am also a right-wing-nut.

There's no winning.

[psychochicken]

Indeed. It struck a chord with me too. Nice to know it's also been recognised at your level and I'm not just mad.

On the Polanski thing I was right with you until I found out that the victim has since sued him, got the closest to 'justice' she's ever going to get and wants the charges dropped. Although I do see the point of "do the crime do the time", I do feel it has to be tempered with "who would benefit from him being thrown in jail at this point". I mean, who?

[anthrokeight]

Re: Polanksi and the matter of how much the victim's desire to have the charges drop. I'd write out my response to that but Kate Harding at the Broad Sheet makes the point better than I ever could

[psychochicken]

Don't disagree with any word of that. The man's slime of the lowest order. Still don't see who benefits from putting him in jail *now*. Doesn't mean I don't think they should, I just don't see a huge amount of point, is all.

Frankly though the bigger shame should be on the justice system for allowing this go on so long. They singularly failed to put a man who, as is clearly stated several times there, raped a child and plead guilty, in jail then let him bugger off to France for two decades. I mean, how can the individual victim successfully persue a case against him and the might of the US justice system can't? They lost this one big time - and putting him in jail now doesn't change that either. I only hope they learned from it.

[anthrokeight]

"I only hope they learned from it."

This is why they should follow through. Because if they correct the problem THIS time, maybe they'll be motivated, and have a framework for, not f*cking it up NEXT time.

And, this is an example of how justice comes one teaspoon at a time. The Voting Rights Act is a once-in-a-generation bombshell of justice-delivering legal win. Same with Roe v. Wade or any other huge rights and liberty supporting ruling you can think of.

Almost any other time something is done right for the right reasons in the legal world, it is one teaspoonful of justice in a very large, deep hole. It's not the fault of the spoonwielder that the they're filling a chasm.

[psychochicken]

I see your point - just don't see how this is correcting the mistake they made 20 years ago. Making sure it doesn't happen again, now that's more sensible.

It is, however, in this case largely the fault of the spoonweilder that the chasm is so darn big.

[anthrokeight]

I had two conversations Saturday that make me get behind anything- be it ineffectual, late, laughable, a sham of what justice should be, anything- that works on the message that rape apologism is not okay. These conversations were with people I love and admire and for whom I have an unusual amount of regard

[psychochicken]

No apology necessary. It's an emotive, multi-faceted subject and should remain so.

[psychochicken]

Re. the added bit about benefitting society. Yup. Agree - but it's twenty years too late for that. They've already failed in that regard. They failed the victim, they failed you, and they failed to protect society. Nothing they can do now will change that.

In all honesty, he should go to jail. It's just that it's a bit laughable now. I do find it quite alarming that so many prominent people are publicly saying "hey, this child abuser is a good guy, he shouldn't be prosecuted". Hmm. Worrying.