A pedestal is as much a prison as any small, confined space.
Gloria Steinem
If you would, please take the minute to think about the most demeaning, embarrassing, worthless, humiliating, degrading situation ever bestowed upon you. Take another minute, in fact, take two. Multiply that “situation” by 10! Now, take a knife and drive it through the heart of your self esteem. If you’ve followed this traumatic exercise you are now half way down the dark alley of understanding the psyche of a rape victim. And, no matter how normal a person may appear on the outside, these victims will probably never (fully)recover from this on the inside -- literally.
As horrific a violation as rape is to one’s human rights and dignity; there is a legal aspect that is equally discomforting. And for Ghetto Proverbs regulars – you probably already guessed, this is where our frightening discussion will begin.
Ben Roethlisberger is a 28-year-old player for the famed Pittsburgh Steelers and the youngest starting quarterback to ever win a NFL Super Bowl. 
Mike Tyson is a 43-year-old retired boxer and is the youngest undisputed heavyweight champion to ever to win the WBC, WBA & IBF world heavyweight titles – the sport’s Super Bowl equivalent. If you just landed from outer space, welcome. Please note, there are two sets of laws that govern life in America. There are rules for the rich and rules for the poor. And if you are a highly-compensated public figure, those rules are a tad bit blurry. If you are a highly-compensated white male, that blur is a mirage. If you are a black male, that mirage just became a nightmare. If you are a woman, start packing for outer space.
Roethlisberger and Tyson have more in common than two highly sought-after, highly visible, and highly-compensated sports icons. They both reached their (public) low by raping a woman (in private).
In March 2010, Ben Roethlisberger met a 20-year-old female college student in a nightclub in Milledgeville, Georgia. After a couple of hours (and a few drinks) he was having sex with her in the club’s bathroom, while his bodyguards manned the door -- manned being the operative word.
In July 1991, Mike Tyson met an 18-year-old female beauty queen at a pageant in Indianapolis, Indiana. Later that evening the woman graciously accepted a chauffeur-driven limousine ride to Tyson’s hotel room. After her arrival (roughly 1:36am), the two had sex, while Tyson’s bodyguard manned the door -- manned being the operative word.
The spectators’ accounts leading to both “proceedings” are almost as unbelievable as the [eventual] outcome. Roethlisberger’s on-lookers flagged Ben’s vile, contemptible, and intrusive in nature; while Tyson’s observers applauded his very candid, explicit, straight-forward “goal(s).” Both playas had their share of tainted off-the-field incidents, but nothing close to rape.
The college student and the beauty queen both filed rape charges; after unveiling horrific accounts of their respective recollections. For their “participation” Ben got community service, while Tyson got 10 years – or one year for every hour the jury deliberated. Tyson was released after serving three years...
... perhaps one year for every side to a story.
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1 love,
Ray Lewis
2 comments:
There is two sides to the coin. The first, these men are business man, who have money and popularity. They know there is no limitations to there world because of money. Second, as long as I've been in the business world, women have been drawn toward this same popularity. Women who uses their tools to reach to the top, cling to these men only to find their over their head with trouble. The rest of the story speaks for itself..
Stupidity and gullibility not worth the time nor day.
Yet, truthfully there is no reason to behave in a way so degrading for both man or woman. The others it's a sickness of control, jealous, anger at whom their mother, sister, or some strong figured influence of a female profile sets a man's rage to cruelty.
USA
hey!
Common sense, if I am in a private place with the opposite sex, there is an attraction, something is bound to happen. He’s not my brother, father, cousin, or uncle. Even if I did not have feeling for this person and I allow my sexuality gain the best of me. Guess what, the average person will have that one time thing.
Sometime females are so gullible or they know what to expect but play stupid. Both men have the same no good reputation. However, they are allowed to do what they do because of who they are. You have those who don’t care and you have those who will yell till Armageddon what they are doing is wrong. So if the woman is looking for attention for the spotlight, they are in the right place. I don’t believe they were rape. I believe the fun was over expectations did not meet the criteria. Someone became an unhappy camper. It was a mutual consent in wanting the sex. The girls have a conversational topic to discuss.
On the other hand, men like them do not have respect for woman. I believe they got what they wanted, then cut them loose. Both sides of the coin are at fault; the more I think of it, there is no fault. It is lust, which they both enjoyed and when it was over someone was not happy. It was as if the men were saying in so many words, ‘you serve the purpose, now move on’. In turn, the girls are say it’s time for revenge. They were left unappreciated, feeling they were not respected; a whore but they put themselves in that predicament. If these girls were in their right minds, they would want to be in the public eye mean at a restaurant, walking though the park, somewhere other than a hotel room or in a public bathroom; come on! I will not be surprise, if they are young, stupid, and immature females. It’s sad because this make bad news for young ones who are not trying to be in this category. They stigmatize with assumptions because of that few bad apples. My other thought, because of the bad rep the two have, were they set up.
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