Sexual assaults have been making the news more often lately. But the ones that garner attention are only the most gruesome tales. The ones that make people weak with relief that it wasn’t them, or their child. Case in point: the Steubenville case in which a teen girl was raped by two high school football players, and the community defended the players. The case of Rehtaeh Parsons, who was taken off life support after trying to hang herself because a photograph of her alleged rape circulated for a prolonged period at school. And the case of Amanda Todd, who was stalked after a photo of her was circulated online, and to her family and friends. Rape and sexual assault are systemic failings in our society, not especially horrific incidents that
On July 15th 2008, Caylee Anthony was reported missing by her grandmother, Cindy, who claimed that she had not seen her granddaughter in 31 days. Cindy called the police after picking up her daughter Casey’s impounded vehicle, which smelled strongly of a decomposing body. Cindy found a bag of garbage in the trunk of Casey’s car but no trace of a body. Cindy had attempted to contact and visit Caylee over the past month, but Casey Anthony refused visitation, claiming that Caylee was with a nanny named Zenaida Fernandez Gonzalez, or at the beach or parks. Casey had given Cindy various explanations as to Caylee’s whereabouts before finally telling her mother that she had not seen Caylee for multiple weeks.
Imagine being wrongfully trialled for the murders of your father and stepmother. Well, this was Lizzie Borden’s reality in the notorious 19th century case. In August, 1892, the gruesome murders of Andrew and Abby Borden took place in a small town named Fall River. Because Lizzie Borden was believed to have a lot to gain with the murders of her parents, she was the only one accused of being the murder. With this case, I believe the council was right for pleading Lizzie as innocent. The public and police tried to use theories against her in court to prove she was guilty. With the whole public against her, Lizzie still stood strong and was proven innocent for the murders.
The case of Lizzie Borden is still one of the most talked about mysteries ever. The crime happened during the 1800s and to this day no one has ever been convicted for the murders of Lizzie’s father and stepmother. There have been many theories to what happened on that day. Lizzie Borden was the obvious suspect, but was never charged with murder. The Lizzie Borden case may remain a mystery forever.
The Casey Anthony trial has been arguably the most controversial case since the trial of O.J. Simpson and has been speculated over ever since the verdict had been given in July of 2011. It was decided by a jury of her peers that Anthony was not guilty of murder, for the death of her daughter Caylee. Many believe that Anthony should have been found guilty however, very little Americans actually comprehend the justice system.
Lizzie Borden took an Axe and gave her stepmother forty whacks, when she had seen what she had done, she gave her father forty-one. The problem is that Lizzie Borden was accused of murder of her dad and stepmother on August 4th, 1892. Lizzie Borden was not the murderer the day her parents were killed. Lizzie is not the murder because Lizzie deeply cared for her father, at Lizzie's trial she showed a grieving side of her that wasn't described in other sources at their time and because she was framed to be believed to commit murder on her parents. After the murderers Lizzie was treated very differently by MANY people even though she was innocent.
Billy Joel once sang, “Only the good die young”. In life, it is true, the young and innocent seem to touch more lives around us than anyone else. In the Casey Anthony trial, Anthony was a suspect in the murder of her daughter Caylee. Caylee’s life shouldn’t be counted in years, it should be counted by how many lives she affected, the love she has gained, and the support the country has given her to find out what really happened. In the play, Twelve Angry Men, a boy killed his father; however, both cases were challenged by the obvious and the abstruse evidence. Large cities towards the east coast, in 1982, Twelve Angry Men, and 2008, Casey Anthony Trial, affiliated with two major trials able to modify the lives of the living and the dead. For that reason, during the Casey Anthony case, jurors were conflicted throughout the trial.
The famous axe murders of Fall River in 1892 shocked everyone for years and many believe that it was Lizzie Borden or was it? Lizzie Borden is accused of killing her parents with an axe. Many believe that she committed this crime but was never caught. I believe that Lizzie Borden is guilty of killing her parents. Lizzie had a rocky relationship with her stepmother before and a week before the murders Lizzie got into an argument with her father and stepmother. When police searched the house there was no sign of anyone who had tried to break into the Borden house on the day of the murders and Lizzie was the only one in the house
The Casey Anthony case was one that captured the heart of thousands and made it to the headline of national TV talk shows, newspapers, radio stations and social media networks for months. The root of the case was due to a clash between the parental responsibilities, the expectations that went with being a parent, and the life that Casey Anthony wanted to have. The case was in respect to the discovering the cause of Casey’s two-year-old daughter, Caylee Marie Anthony’s, death; however the emphasis was placed on Casey and her futile lies, which resulted in a public outcry. The purpose of this essay is to delve into the public atmosphere and inquire about why the media and social media collectively attacked the case by uncovering the content of the case, the charges that were laid, and later dismissed, the “performers” of the trial and the publics reaction. It will further discuss how it defies universal ideologies and how the media represents this. The discussion of the complexities of the case and its connotations will incorporate Stuart Hall’s Representation and the Media, Robert Hariman’s Performing the Laws, What is Ideology by Terry Eagleton, The Body of the Condemned by Michael Foucault, and a number of news articles, which will reveal disparate ideas of representation in the media, and the role of the performers of the law and their effect on the understanding of the case.
In what is sure to be a very solemn matter for all American students and their families across the country , in January 2013 , President Obama, the office of the Vice President and the White House Council on Women and Girls converged and issued a renewed call to action against rape and sexual assault report which analyzes the most recent reliable data about this issue and identifies who are the most in peril victims of this malefaction, investigates the costs of this violence both for victims and communities , and describes the replication very often inadequate of the US malefactor equity system.
When it comes to the case of Amanda Todd and Anonymous, the question of can this case be considered legally prosecutable under “conspiracy to commit harm, or defame” law or not can definitely be up for debate. While there are countless of prosecutors that are capable of influencing a group of individuals one way or the other on what the meaning of this law is, there are many factors in this case that may affect the ability of that law to hold up in court. From information gathered for a person to be suspected of a crime of that nature, a statement must be verbalized or transcribed. Aydin Coban the accused and now convicted person behind Amanda Todd’s suicide did meet those criteria’s to be prosecuted under conspiracy to commit harm, or defame. However, on March of
It is not a topic that is brought up often, especially at schools or at gatherings, yet it is crucial that everyone be educated, or at least informed on a topic that affects women every day. “Given that sexual violence continues to occur at high rates in the United States, it is vital that we understand attitudes and cultural norms that serve to minimize or foster tolerance of sexual violence” (Aosved, 481). Growing rates of sexual violence goes to prove that it is not taken seriously by many, especially when myths excuse the actions of the perpetrator and instead guilt victims into thinking they are responsible for the horrible act. Burt (1980), in her article titled, “Cultural myths and support for rape” attempts to make sense of the importance of stereotypes and myths, defined as prejudicial, stereotypes, or false beliefs about rape, rape victims and rapists- in creating a climate hostile to rape victims (Burt, 217). Examples of rape myths are such sayings as “only bad girls get raped”; “women ask for it”; “women cry rape” (Burt, 217). This only goes to prove that rape myths against women always blame and make it seem like it is the women’s fault she was raped and that she deserved it for “acting” a certain way. McMahon (2007), in her article titled, “Understanding community-specific rape myths” explains how Lonsway and Fitzgerald (1994) later described rape myths as “attitudes and beliefs that are generally
The statistics clearly show a group of people who’re affected by the heinous acts of sexual assault. Everyone knows that sexual assault isn’t a topic that’s on the top of the list to talk about; people usually even try to go as far as to hide it or to cover it up. Though, it’s clear for certain; covering something up doesn’t make it alright – It won’t make it go away and the problem is still there. For that exact fact, it is the very reason that sexual assault is something that needs to be brought to the
Sexual assault is defined as a type of behaviour that occurs without explicit consent from the recipient and under sexual assault come various categories such as sexual activities as forces sexual intercourse, incest, fondling, attempted rape and more (Justice.gov. 2017). People often become victims of sexual assault by someone they know and trust (Mason & Lodrick, 2013) which is conflicting to the public’s perception and beliefs that offenders are strangers. Women are the main victims for sexual assault and are 5 times more likely to have been a victim of sexual assault from a male (Wright, 2017, p. 93). Men are victims of sexual assault however only 0.7% of men, compared to 3.2% of women, experience some form of sexual assault which highlights how vulnerable women are compared to men. Sexual assault is publicised and exposed in the media, however is often
Sexual assault is an offense that plagues many U.S. citizens. Although some studies show that rape is on the decline, other studies report that the phenomena actually occuring is that less rape victims are reporting the crime. In fact, approximately 68% of sexual assaults go unreported to the police according to the U.S. Department of Justice in a National Crime Victimization Survey from 2008-2012. It is common knowledge that rape victims are usually severely traumatized after the event, which leaves them susceptible to various emotions such as shame, anxiety, numbness, fear, denial, and guilt. Because of this, many rape victims decide to repress their experience and let it go unheard. However, not only does this prevent them from healing emotionally,
Preceding my viewing of Audrie & Daisy, I was somewhat aware of the scope of the sexual assault problem in the United States. I knew that a disturbingly large number of people, male and female, will have experienced sexual assault in their lifetime. I also knew that oftentimes the perpetrators of these assaults are let off easy or are not held accountable at all, either due to a failure to report the crime, lack of evidence or simply as a result of doubtfulness in the accounts of the victims. I learned these unfortunate truths through various forms of media and news, in school, and online. Of the many things I learned while watching this documentary, the most shocking and