There is yet another great controversy brewing within our American fabric. It all began last August when a night of underage drinking and what kids thought what was a night of having fun went terribly wrong. This was a night that a young lady not only lost her consciousness from the overconsumption of alcohol but a night that many young people also lost their consciousnesses of what is the right thing to do in an obviously wrong situation.
This was the night that a young lady was raped and violated by two young men of the Steubenville High School football team however many are angered as they say that she was raped and violated by all who was there as they watched and laughed at this barbaric act and yet did nothing to stop, prevent or report it. This indeed is an American travesty that happens too often than we like to believe or are even aware of. This is the product of our youth not only being ignorant of what rape and the aftermath of rape is but it is also a good sign that America has completely desensitized the subject matter.
I was not only appalled when I heard of this story but when I viewed the video that the young people posted online as they "jokingly" spoke if the DEPLORABLE things that happened that night...I was deeply disturbed.
The first thing I thought was that not only all the young people that participated in this crime by committing it or watching it deserved to be severely punished then when the video surfaced I felt that we failed as a society because we have not properly educated our youth on the rape, the consequences and the aftermath it plays on the victims and their families. My heart sank because I personally feel that I work hard as an advocate to educate and empower victims, communities and the world about sexual violence but for this type of behavior to continue to happen is disappointing.
