Comments on: How much is a sexual assault worth?

By: Brian

Brian — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 11:13:27 +0000

http://www.ketv.com/news/13670904/detail.html

On a related subject, this is a rape case in Omaha where the victim was not allowed to use the words to actually describe what happenned. Keep an eye on this one, it should go to a higher court. I think it is ridiculous of the judge to censor the victim when the charges against the criminal are spelled out, yet she can not say certain words that would bias the jury.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:33:51 +0000

From the actual article:
“It also includes victim services and criminal justice costs, some costs related to treatment of sexually transmitted infections, some pregnancy costs, substance abuse, there’s some costs association with sexual violence that ends up resulting in suicide,” says Kinde.

Wow – there are “some costs association with sexual violence that ends up resulting in suicide”.

That just sounds so incredible cold and diassociated. Suicide = cost to the state. Nothing about the emotional “cost” to that person’s family and loved ones, and nothing about the loss that society may experience from losing that person.

By: Kristen

Kristen — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:31:26 +0000

I hear where you’re coming from, but I was personally very happy when this story hit the news. Yes, its deplorably that humanity seems incapable of empathy. I wish I could stand on the top of the universe and scream every two and a half minutes when a person is being sexually assaulted in America and people would actually pay attention. Alas, no. such. luck. Unless there is a $ and a billion after something no one pays any attention. So, I’ll be sad that humanity sucks…but I’m happy that we’re talking about ways to reduce sexual assaults at all rather than the soul shattering silence I normally hear.

By: Lancastrian

Lancastrian — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 17:19:08 +0000

You mean Capitalism doesn’t solve everything? Curses!

Seriously, this seems to be yet another instance of it being easier to persuade people to care about others if you actually take the others out of it. In research and study, the stories of the victims (even when there are MASSES of them, properly recorded, talking about the same abuse) being dismissed because they’re ‘too close to the subject’. Now we turn people into money and voila! It’s okay to talk about rape.

God forbid we treat people as human beings and bloody talk to them. That would be depressing and real.

By: Sandinista

Sandinista — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 12:50:58 +0000

Especially since some of these “victims” were surely Dirty, Lying Whores, etc?

Exactly. And I'm foreseeing a new incarnation of "I am justified in hating fat people, they are a drain on the system, those are my tax dollars!" As in, "If that Dirty Whore hadn't gotten herself raped, she wouldn't be using up my tax dollars!" or "We should make those Lying Whores really prove it before we give them my tax dollars!"

Oughta be swell!