On Monday, attorneys representing members of the Duke University lacrosse team said DNA from 46 players tested did not match evidence collected from an exotic dancer who says she was raped and beaten by three players at a team party.
No charges have been filed in the case, but the district attorney has said he believes a crime occurred at the March 13 party.
If any of these players are guilty, I wonder if they are they the same kids whose parents demand special treatment from coaches and schools because their little darlings are athletic superstars.
Are they the type of guys that are great to hang out with, but whom you keep your little sisters away from?
Are they the guys who turn down their first job out of school because there's no six-figure starting salary, no bonus and no expense account?
"Pay my dues? You're lucky to have me."
Are these the same guys who get caught up in insider trading scandals at huge Wall Street firms because they never thought they'd get caught — or more accurately, believe they're above the law or that they deserve the extra kick in the wallet just for breathing?
I don't know.
I don't know these guys, but I know guys like the ones described above.
They are the ugly Americans. They are the kids who are brought up with the most expensive video games, the best of everything — and believe they deserve it all and who take it all for granted.
They're the kids of parents who believe their little darlings should have it all, and they give it to them, unwittingly raising boys who grow up to be some of the worst men in this country. They're the date rapists, the misogynistic cheating husbands who believe all women exist for their taking, the negligent fathers and the backstabbers at the office.
They're the guys who give wedgies to the weakest kid in the locker room, always having to prove how tough they are. They're the ones who start barroom brawls when they're surrounded by a bunch of their friends, never giving one second's thought to the people they're hurting.
And the parents of kids like these never believe how monstrous their offspring are. How could they? These kids are not stupid. They are well-educated, cunning, street smart and grand manipulators. They know how to con mommy and daddy. They learned a long time ago that it's easier to put on a show for the right adults.
And then they know that when they pick victims who are socially beneath them, that "nobody's going to believe you if you tell, anyway. So go ahead."
They are above it all.
On the flip side, we also know women who will do anything to get attention. And being paid $20 every few minutes to gyrate in a string bikini can warp a person's view of money, men and herself.
Indeed, the very industry of adult entertainment can attract some of the most messed up women on the planet.
In a world of "C.S.I." amateurs, the lack of DNA evidence in the Duke case is huge.
In a world where Tawana Brawley can pit a city against itself after making up a story, we know that anything can happen.
In a world where it is normal for "privileged" athletes to be raucous and to "party hardy," nobody is shocked, or even surprised that this could have happened.
While we all know men who deserve to have the living daylights beat out of them, and women who should be condemned to the psych ward, we also know that the truth in this Duke case will come out.
It always does.
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