Race Baiting or Blaming the Victim? White Females Say They Were Raped by Black Athletes

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

On the Today Show, two students from Indiana University and Wake Forest came forth to claim that they were raped by two athletes after a long night of drinking.  As a college professor, I can testify to the high number of sexual assaults that occur as a result of excessive alcohol consumption on college campuses, which is one of the reasons why I regularly campaign against it.  As they mention on the Today Show, one-in-five women on campus is sexually assaulted, and I consistently tell my girls to be mindful of this issue when they make personal choices.  Personally, I never drank in college (or after), for I had no interest in continuing the legacy of alcoholism that runs in my genes.  There’s nothing nerdy about being sober.

Consuming alcohol doesn’t give anyone an excuse to commit the act of rape.   At the same time, it’s hard for the rest of us to distinguish between consensual sex with a woman who likes to hang out with athletes (i.e. groupies) and inexcusable behavior on the part of men who presume too much.  Additionally, the video conjures up disturbing imagery of the white female damsel in distress being attacked by the big, brutish black man.  Perhaps the Today Show could have shown more balance by presenting a black female victim or a white perpetrator, instead of presenting the story as if it were a product of the Willie Horton School of Media Management.  As the experience of President Obama shows us, millions of white Americans still fear black men, and there is a reason that the OJ trial meant so much to America.

You can watch the video by clicking here.