LETTER: Great Debate

Although The Daily Pennsylvanian is, by far, the best student newspaper I've ever read, I was beginning to think that it only printed articles or columns which were saturated with liberal and politically correct attitudes. I was pleasantly surprised to read Jason Seiden and Brandon Fogel's column, "The Girl Who Cried Rape" (DP 2/14/92). It discusses an issue, in a positive and somewhat negative manner as well, that needs to be addressed but seems to be unspeakable in most circles. The column seems to suggest that there is rarely "proof" in a rape case and that too many members of our society are ready to convict a man before his trial. I do not necessarily agree with this generalization wholeheartedly, but it raises an important point. During the Kennedy Smith trial and Thomas hearings, I tried to maintain an objective, unbiased view despite the media's disgraceful treatments of each party in each case. This objective view, however, as Seiden and Fogel suggest, was not shared by most of the population. There are many people who seem to think that Kennedy Smith is guilty because he just happens to be a male and that he was accused of rape, which does not say very much for their opinion of the American justice system. Attitudes like that only serve to undermine "the everyday workings of the male-female relationship in general." Attitudes like Seiden's and Fogel's also harbor negative elements as well. It is important for all of us to understand that there are men who rape and, as a society, we should not try to disguise this fact. The "burden of proof" is not always absent in a rape trial and justice needs to prevail. It is my belief that justice did prevail in the Mike Tyson and Kennedy Smith trials. I completely disagree with Seiden and Fogel's assertion that men are now "helpless" because of "precedent" set in the Tyson trial. If one believes in the cause of real justice, not "justice via television and public opinion," then the Tyson trial has a positive outcome. The message that men will not get away with rape has been reinforced, but we must not assume that "all men are rapists" as some ludicrous bumper stickers and organizations seem to suggest. If most members of our population were not so incredibly uptight in the first place, we would not have many of the male-female problems that this country seems to have. ANTHONY VERRECCHIA College '92