This offends me, though I agree with the suggestion that publicizing the names of those accused of crimes is as dubious as publicizing the names of their accusers. But I don't think anyone knows what really went on. I still find it impossible to see what her motive could have been if she were simply lying. It is clear that she was quite confused, and that the investigation was horribly bungled, but investigations of genuine crimes can be horribly bungled (O. J. Simpson case, anyone?) I find it likely at this point that the particular men she accused are not guilty of what she accused them of, but that is hardly evidence of deliberate malice on her part; the reason eyewitness testimony is so terrible and courts should rely on it far less than they do is not primarily because people lie, but rather because people are much worse than they think they are at re-identifying those they've only seen briefly, and memories are easily conflated and overwritten by later suggestion and contemplation. However, while she may, I suppose, have experienced some sort of delusion (in which case I'd still question publicizing the name; shaming the mentally ill doesn't strike me as a useful thing to do), it still seems most likely to me that something awful happened to her which she did not remember accurately.
I guess my current view of the case is that it is, of course, unfortunate that some Duke lacrosse players, some of whom seem to have been pretty sketchy, have suffered bad publicity for specific crimes which they probably didn't commit. However, numbers matter, and extent of harm matters, so I still have far more sympathy for the millions of sex workers who never get any justice for the horrible abuse they suffer, at least partly because of how readily it is assumed they're lying if they try to complain about any of it, than I do for the handful of privileged white boys whose reputations have been damaged by false accusations. Perhaps I should show more solidarity with my fellow privileged white boys, but hey, I'm privileged. I don't have to show solidarity; I get the benefits without working for it. So I'll instead indulge my inclination to be sympathetic to the other.
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