how hard would it have been to go call the police on your cell phone from the bathroom??? I think you are letting the watchers off too easily. Yeah, sure...some folks may have been too scared to say something to the folks committing the crime at the time (it probably wouldn't have been smart). They could have left and called the police from another location. It doesn't take a genius to know that someone had to stop this or that you don't have to necessarily jump in and scream stop. There were other options that NONE of these individuals seemed to take (except to stand around and watch). If you stand around and watch something like this happening, I'm sorry...you don't get my sympathy. That's all saved up for the victim.

No one with an ounce of sense or common decency would have allowed this to continue...therefore the watchers should do some prison time as well.

Easy to say when you're not the person who might pay the price for blowing the whistle.

Unfortunately, we have only ourselves to blame for all of this because we have given evil every place to hide. We can't call bad behavior what it is because the evildoer can always claim that we're prejudiced because they're black, Mexican, Arab, Asian, a woman, LGBT, obese, elderly or any number of other things. In other words, as long as there's something the attention on bad behavior can be deflected with, the bad behavior will continue un-punished (and possibly rewarded).

We're now on the road to hell that was paved with good intentions, the only option to fix it is to tear down the legal fabric in its entirety and rebuild it from the bottom up so individuals, communities and businesses can take care of their business as they see fit. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy the ride, because it'll only get worse from here.

I'm here to tell you...the folks who are rapists and in the military were going to do it whether they joined up or not. Some folks, like blackenterpise said, are just weak individuals (and I would hazard to say depraved). I would even stipulate that the military might be an attractive employer for some of these people (getting to blow up stuff probably appeals to them)...but trust me when I say...these folks were bad BEFORE they joined. Does the military do enough to stop them or discourage this kind of behavior...almost certainly not. But since none of the individuals who were involved (as far as we know...these kids weren't going to high school near a military base) are in the military...how are you blaming the military for their behavior???

I think a lack of good parenting is part of the problem (letting your kids play violent games/listen to violent & sexual music...it isn't the games/music...it's the lack of parental common sense). Also maybe these folks might have seen their own mothers/female relatives victimized by men and therefore feel it's okay to display this type of behavior. If no one ever teaches you the proper way to behave, it's very likely that you won't know the proper way to behave (although some folks manage to learn on their own how to behave). Even with all these reasons/excuses, these fools deserve to be UNDER the jail. The folks who watched should be thrown under the jail as well. No one with an ounce of sense or common decency would have allowed this to continue...therefore the watchers should do some prison time as well.

I understand your outrage, but I'm simultaneously puzzled to the extent of it. Don't let your anger cloud your own knowledge. Remember, this is the USA. They used to stage public hangings in this country and all the townsfolk would gather around and treat it like a family event. This was not that long ago. When black folks were getting lynched, people gathered around and watched like it was no big deal. And there were plenty of WOMEN out there watching along with all those 'macho' men killing brothas for no reason.

This type of violence is just herd mentality insanity. All humans have a dark side, and for those of lesser sense and inner strength, they'll be compelled to commit these crimes, and even more will feel compelled to watch. What happened to this woman is terrible. But this isn't about gender, or about machismo. Its about weakness in the morality of those who committed the act, and the weakness of those who watched, and didn't stop it. So what if there were some women who were there 'witnessing' the act, like those lynchings back in the day? Would add more or less to the gravity of the situation?

It seems like you're getting a little 'glass half empty' in your world view. These idiots will get the justice they deserve. Hopefully.

Good blog...

I think a lot of the issues facing today's youth are seeded in the sub-cultures that have risen to prominence in their lives. Video games are not really the smoking gun here, its the hip-hop culture in its music, movies and overall tone.

I have yet to see or hear a chart topping song/movie in that genre that does not identify women as materialistic items that are to be used and abused sexually and physically.

Tweens, teens and early twenty-somethings, white and black (and any other race for that matter) are all influenced and enamored with this particular "brand" of visual and auditory marketing. The root of that marketing (no pun intended Skip) seems to be based in fast money, fast materials and unfortunately, fast sex.

When songs depict a good sexual time as a multi-partner endeavor with, most times, the female being the object of abuse, this has to be creating some kind of mentality in young males in our society that its okay to toss a girl around as a sexual object with little to no regard of said female as an actual human being but more, again, of an object to be battered.

When I hear songs like "Crank-dat" and see a 16 year old behind the lyrics instructing other teens to cum on a towel and affix to the back of a young girls neck while shes passed out and oh by the way here's a great line dance to compliment this insanity, it just sickens me. It sickens me more that the record executives, master himself with the money to dole out, commercialize this and make it mainstream.

We have a lot of problems as a society. I am not sure there is a cure. If I read the bible correctly, Sodom and Gomorrah were struck down eventually. Maybe thats going to be our fate. I mean after all, we are not exactly providing or coming up with the winning formula.

and Keith, Jimi is angry-man-squared-to-the-fifth-power-infinity-plus-a-day. What did you expect? Rationale? lol

We live in a rape culture. It has been this way for centuries. To change it we must start by acknowledging and coming to terms with our history.

It's exactly as you put it "fascination with the cultural tradition to watching". America has become such a vouyeristic society 20 odd years. It does seem the country has become a nation of neck-crankers, does it not?

It does not help that, here in America certain actions in a male are not actions that endorse the "macho life-style". Actions such as affection, crying, admitting wrong, ect . These are actions called weak, so are not sought after or looked up to. These are not male actions, society/hollywood/music/the town i live in, sell show or display

Then there is that mob mentality, which was very much in play with the situation in Richmond, humans(men in paticular) can be easly riled up and led and talked into almost anything..

I do so agree with you on the point, the younger generation is doomed, yes sad to say..but truth none the less..i have no idea, how we turn this boat around??.

I meant MAY God give her peace....

This whole story just breaks my heart for the victim. My God give her peace I sincerely hope she is under the watchful eye of an M.D. or a counselor. It's one thing to have this thing happen in the first place; it's another to have it strewn across the news.

In regards to the military....sadly the miltary isn't nearly as safe as civilians might think. 1 in 4 military women have been sexually assaulted. Ask me how I know this. : (

I have to agree with Keith on this one. I've been in a male dominated career for 11 years and there is nothing I could hear that would surprise me. I often wrestle with my own resentment of men and their need to prove how manly they are by getting laid by which ever means necessary. "Oh, she's passed out drunk? Well, she's in my place, and she didn't say no..." Sometimes I have to step back and force myself to acknowledge it's not ALL men. I can't hate men because of the actions of some.

I appreciate your comments. But just for the record: I have nothing against men in the military. My father, both brothers, two uncles, three first cousins and host of friends and relations all served in the military. Even two great-great uncles (WWI) and quadruple-greats served in the Civil War and the American Revolution. However, I do feel a combo of military-inspired video games and a misguided fantasy that the American military provides a platform for recklessness and violence is worth discussing when dissecting our male youth.