Wolper: It's Time to Name the Central Park Jogger :

quote:

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The reason reporters keep the names of rape victims out of their newspapers is to spare them the stigma associated with the crime. There is a reason for that. We are a country that still paints a scarlet letter on rape victims.

But the Jogger doesn't need to be protected anymore. She is lifting her veil because she wants to tell the world who she is and how she came back from near death to conquer life. She overcame. She is doing what many people want her to do: destigmatize the status of rape victims. She is opening her life to scrutiny.

. . .

That story was about a vicious sexual assault. This one is about marketing the victim of that assault. It is about abusing the practice the media use to protect victims.

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On the other hand ...

[ 15 April 2003: Message edited by: Whazzup? ]

It's just so obvious that it is next to impossible to do anything public in the U.S., and especially in media centres like NYC and LA, without becoming the flavour of the month. And it's all so pointless. In NYC, even if you're a star in New York, you're not a star in New York, if you see what I mean. Everything is currency, every moral dilemma, every human crisis, every human being.

Something similar happens in U.S. politics. Money sentimentalized -- does anyone get anywhere in U.S. politics any other way?

As far as I can see, the only way to survive the U.S. media omniglorp with honour is to do something like a Nader: forswear the perks; stay on message for forty, fifty years, and maybe 5 per cent of the people will end up genuinely respecting you. I call that success.

[ 15 April 2003: Message edited by: skdadl ]

Presumably, a victim who wishes to come forward to assist in eradicating any stigma should be allowed to. Someone who would prefer anonimity should have that respected, also.