Should the Steubenville teenager who was convicted of rape be allowed to play football again? A user in /r/news thinks he should. (np.reddit.com)
SubredditDrama
86 ups - 0 downs = 86 votes
135 comments submitted at 03:25:40 on Aug 12, 2014 by InclusionGuilt
Shhhhhhhh this is Reddit, once you fuck up once your life should be over forever!
>fuck up once
He helped gang-rape a 16 year old girl. Last year.
Yeah it's pretty horrible what happened, but all involved were 16 years old. No one deserves to have their life ruined for being a dumb teenager.
Usually being a dumb teenager doesn't involve literally raping someone. I played high school football. There is no way this dude would be allowed to play. Neither the coaches or the parents would have it, let alone the players.
I feel like raping isn't something that dumb teenagers just do. Getting a scratch on your parents car, stealing makeup from a department store, getting drunk with friends...those are stupid things that normal stupid teenagers do. Raping is not one of them. It isn't a "teenage thing".
>Getting a scratch on your parents car, stealing makeup from a department store, getting drunk with friends...those are stupid things that normal stupid teenagers do.
These are more or less stupid things that adults do too.
Look at arson - I mean, how many of us can honestly say that at one time or another he hasn't set fire to some great public building. I know I have.
not really, no.
So adults don't have car accidents, steal, or get drunk?
Scratch their parents car? No, not really an adult thing. Stealing? Again, shoplifting is more a teenager thing, not that adults don't do that. Illegally drinking is something teens do, adults legally drink. Teens make "stupid mistakes" more than adults do, it is part of growing up. Rape is not a "stupid mistake" though, that really trivializes rape and makes it seem like a normal silly thing.
I thought parallels would be self explanatory but here we go...
>Scratch their parents car?
Adult equivalent- scratch/damage their own car
>Illegally drinking is something teens do, adults legally drink.
Getting drunk and doing stupid things is not the sole (or primary) domain of teenagers. Sure adults do it legally, but that doesn't make the things they do any less stupid.
>Rape is not a "stupid mistake" though, that really trivializes rape and makes it seem like a normal silly thing.
And I never meant to make it sound like it was. The point that everyone seems to be missing is that crimes committed as a teenager shouldn't ruin your life regardless of how bad they are ^(noted exception being murder).
And I don't think rape should be one of those crimes that gets left out of those exceptions (like murder). Rape and murder are both really bad (obv. murder is worse). Yeah I think rape, along with murder, are crimes that I feel are ok to totally ruin someones life if they commit them.
Ordinary dumb teenagers don't do the shit this kid. Let's not downplay his crime as some kind of "kids will be kids" bullshit.
>Let's not downplay his crime as some kind of "kids will be kids" bullshit.
And no one's doing that.
You're excusing it as something dumb teenagers do. Dumb teenagers get into fights, drink at parties, smoke, things like that. They don't commit violent crimes and brag about it.
>You're excusing it as something dumb teenagers do.
No, I'm not. I never said it's ok or that it's just something "teens do".
>They don't commit violent crimes and brag about it.
Really?
>Dumb teenagers get into fights
That's at least assault right there.
>being a dumb teenager.
He gang-raped a 16 year old girl. Only 17 months ago.
He's was a 16 year old boy. Punish him yes, but not for the remaining ~60 years of his life.
EDIT: for another thing, were they drunk as well when it happened? Today is honestly the first I've heard of this case and Wiki doesn't say if they were also intoxicated.
>He's was a 16 year old boy.
Who still gang-raped a teenage girl, urinated on her, and sent photos/videos to friends.
>Punish him yes, but not for the remaining ~60 years of his life.
This only happened 17 months ago.
Wait, he urinated on her?
Yeah, I know. What's your point with repeating that fact?
I'm repeating it because it apparently isn't getting through. How flippant you are about this and how willing you are to pass off GANG RAPING A TEENAGE GIRL as "boys will be boys" antics is fucking disturbing. It's even more disturbing since you're a regular poster in /r/frat.
I'm not passing it off, and I've (now repeatedly) said that they should, in fact be punished. I just don't think they (or anyone, really) deserve lifelong punishment for something you did as a stupid teen especially if they were intoxicated.
Me and my ex-boyfriend were caught having sex in a public restroom when we were teens; this is obviously much more severe then that but you wouldn't argue either of us deserve to be lifetime registered sex offenders.
>deserve lifelong punishment
The "lifelong punishment" here exists only in your head. This occurred only 17 months ago.
> stupid teen especially if they were intoxicated.
This is what I'm talking about. Raping someone isn't just a "mistake" that teenagers commonly make. Gang-raping someone, urinating on them, and sending pictures/videos to people isn't something that a normal person does when they drink too much.
>Me and my ex-boyfriend were caught having sex in a public restroom when we were teens; this is obviously much more severe then that
Why in the hell would you bring up consensual sex with your partner to compare to GANG-RAPE.
I really, truly hope that you are a troll, because holy shit you are fucked in the head.
They raped someone and got around a year as punishment. People are suggesting that the previously known rape should be enough to kick someone off a football team. Getting bad grades is enough to kick people off a fucking football team. Getting caught smoking marijuana gets you kicked off a sports team. Yet raping someone doesn't? Do you not see the issue of a rapist still being on the team while numerous smaller infractions instantly get you kicked off?
The fuck do you get this life over bull shit? It's high school. His chance at the NFL is near zero.
Don't try to get on the high horse about this if you don't even know anything about it. Damn man.
Did I ever state an opinion about whether or not he should play? I don't really care either way if he does, I commented originally because of all the pitchforking outrage that he's even out of jail.
Punish him sure, but let the courts decide the specifics and let him have a chance for a decent life after it's over.