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Sports Mockery Today...finally putting feet to fire on the behavior of the score regarding this...
Chicago Media Has Already Classified Patrick Kane As Guilty
While digesting the repeated message from local media personnel about the Patrick Kane investigation it’s clear that Chicago shouldn’t be talking about it. If you do you’re either victim bashing, slut-shaming or part of some wild cult of fans that would blindly follow Kane off a cliff. Gathering your own opinion at this point in the investigation is strictly forbidden, and if you dare pass judgement on the information provided to you then you’re an awful person.
Frankly, you’re too dumb and insensitive to be talking about Kane so instead you should listen to Chicago sports analysts do it. They’ve become rape experts overnight.
Julie DiCaro, rape survivor and columnist, wrote the only piece about discussing the Patrick Kane investigation that makes sense. You can read that here.
However, the rest of the opinions coming from the media in this city have been nauseating. A barrage of statistics and numbers, that a simple Google search can find, have been thrown at Chicago fans while blatantly accusing them of victim bashing. Not only that, but a huge generalization has been made that the Kane investigation is just like every other case… and that couldn’t be more inaccurate.
Since everyone is throwing out numbers, instead of using a generalized filter of every single rape that has every taken place, let’s simply talk about wealthy and soon-to-be wealthy athletes for a moment.
These statistics come from a comprehensive rape report by USA Today in 2003. It may be dated, but the statistics are much more applicable than attempting to classify the Kane investigation with every other rape happening in this country every day.
First thing to know, athletes usually walk. Doesn’t mean they’re not guilty though.
USA TODAY research of 168 sexual assault allegations against athletes in the past dozen years suggests sports figures fare better at trial than defendants from the general population. The 168 allegations all involved either current or former athletes at the pro level and in NCAA Division I football and basketball.
Secondly, a whopping 27% of rape cases involving athletes end in a plea agreement and only 3% in conviction.
Of those 168 allegations, involving 164 athletes, only 22 saw their cases go to trial, and only six cases resulted in convictions. In another 46 cases, a plea agreement was reached.
The most common rape statistic discussed in Chicago right now, by the sports media/”rape experts”, is that only 2%-8% of accusations are false.
Here’s an excerpt from Tim Baffoe’s latest article, but it’s been all over the radio as well:
Maybe hearing that between just 2 percent and 8 percent of sexual assault accusations are false, that reporting sexual assaults is low in number, that just 37 percent of accusations get prosecuted or that only 18 percent of prosecutions result in conviction doesn’t give you pause (and maybe makes you scramble to find different stats to help your cause).
Go ahead and Google “how many rape accusations are false” and you’ll find this piece by Jason Richwine from the National Review ranked near the top.
National Review (N.R.) is a semimonthly magazine founded by author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as “America’s most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion.”
Title: That ‘Only 2 to 8 Percent of Rape Accusations Are False’ Stat Is Extremely Misleading
Hmmm.
A “false” rape allegation is provably false – meaning, for example, that the accused has a bulletproof alibi or the accuser eventually recants. In many of the cases examined by the authors of the study, there was simply not enough evidence to bring charges. A rape might have occurred, but it might not have. Such cases are not classified as false. Specifically, in their analysis of sexual-assault cases at a large university, the authors found that 5.9 percent of cases were provably false. However, 44.9 percent cases “did not proceed” – meaning there was insufficient evidence, the accuser was uncooperative, or the incident did not meet the legal standard of assault. An additional 13.9 percent of cases could not be categorized due to lack of information. That leaves 35.3 percent of cases that led to formal charges or discipline against the accused. So there is obviously a lot of uncertainty here, a lot of he-said/she-said when allegations are filed. It would be a mistake to conclude, on the basis of the existing evidence, that nine out of ten assault claims are genuine. I have a strong aversion to misleading statistics, especially when they are used as arguments from authority to shut down debate.
Wondering if anyone from 670 the Score has read that article?
We aren’t attempting to discredit anyone that would file rape charges, we are simply discussing the likelihood of what happened with Kane. To do that, you cannot apply these statistics to a high-profile athlete’s rape investigation.
Here’s a little something about athletes, with money.
Charges were dropped in 20% of the resolved athlete-related incidents, and in an additional 36% law enforcement authorities never filed formal charges.
There is another explanation, to be sure, for why so many athletes are never charged. Because of their celebrity or wealth, they can be targets for false allegations.
No charges, for example, were filed against Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis after a 2002 sexual assault accusation. The district attorney in Westmoreland County, Pa., said he found evidence of a scheme to entrap Bettis and extort money.
So, one in five cases involving athletes are DROPPED. How can we generalize that fact with sexual assaults that occur every 107 seconds in this country? When you put millions on the table, things change.
Here’s a comment from Josh Mora on Facebook that accurately describes how the Chicago media is making fans feel.
But here’s the thing: one can abhor “rape culture” while still reserving judgment as to whether Patrick Kane is a rapist. One can agree that Kane acts like a douchebag while wanting more information as to whether one believes (or police believe) he’s a criminal. And one can acknowledge the sobriety of the numbers you present while also acknowledging that an 8% false accusation rate is not statistically insignificant, and especially not for those who were falsely accused.
I admire your stridency for a serious subject, but your refusal to accept that there are other reasonable stances in the Kane story doesn’t make you an advocate. It makes you a bully.
Nobody in Chicago is victim bashing, they’re simply passing judgement based on the details that are known to them. The Buffalo News and several other news outlets, including Sports Mockery, have released more than enough information already for people to start gathering opinions. When more facts surface, people’s opinions will change. Isn’t that human nature?
The underlying irony in this whole situation is the message by Chicago media “not talk about it” when that’s all they’re doing is talking about it. All day long on the radio and in the Chicago news columns you can read about Kane, but that’s okay because it’s coming from “experts.”
Condoning rape in any fashion is unacceptable, and so is convicting a suspect before charges are even filed. When those charges come and the filtered truth comes out, everyone will have the ability to repeat the process of forming an opinion and passing judgement again.
The way the media in this city attempts to insult the intelligence of the fans is disgusting. The radio hosts hang up on you and columnists generalize you, all while telling you to silence your voice and listen to them talk.
That’s why all of them seem to dislike Sports Mockery, they can’t shut us up…. and they won’t. We are not interested in studying every single rape case that’s ever happened in the United States, we want to know about Kane and the accuser. If that information is going to be withheld from the fans by authorities, then the expectation of strong speculation from the public should follow.
If Kane’s guilty so be it, if not … the Chicago media “experts” in this town will owe him a pretty big apology.
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