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PaperclipPerfector  9mo ago (text post)   34655 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of July 29, 2024

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So, the Guardian has decided to be offended by a volleyball player, gleefully (and from what I can see, technically correctly (the best kind of correct!)) calling him a child rapist in the headlines.

Apparently he had sex with a twelve-year-old when he was 19 (with no additional elements of coercion) and served a year for it in 2016.

That is one icky age difference, and I think that the prison sentence he served might be an appropriate general deterrent. (Personally, I would prefer having (legally void) consensual sex with an adult (to whom I am attracted, see consent) at age 12 to spending a year in the prison at 19, but ymmv.)

However, I also believe in rehabilitation. I see no reason to report on this any more than if he had served a year for insurance fraud in 2016.

Both of the Guardian articles feel less of a hit piece than some other stuff I have read in the past, apart from the headline. (I wish we had some better phrase to refer to the offense than 'child rape', which includes this but also abducting and violently raping kindergardeners.) Of course, that the elected to report on it at all is the most problematic part of it apart from the headlines -- it was eight years ago, which is longer than most doping bans last, and he did a substantial amount of time for it.

While 19 and 12 seems pretty disgusting to me, what the judge said to him makes me want to root for him regardless.

Judge Francis Sheridan told him at the time: “Prior to coming to this country you were training as a potential Olympian.

"Your hopes of representing your country now lie as a shattered dream.”

That strikes me as a judge who got into law for the sheer joy of being cruel. Thus having Van de Velde prove him wrong is very satisfying.

I think the judge may have been playing the role of the stern disciplinarian more than the role of the cruel hand of righteous vengeance. But I don't know. They're both kinda dubious roles to play.

“You were a hugely talented athlete who enjoyed the adulation of the crowd but you also have a dark side and it is that that brought you to court,” he said.

"Prior to coming to this country you were training as a potential Olympian.

“Your hopes of representing your country now lie as a shattered dream.

“Your actions in those two days in England have wrecked your life and you could, had you never come to England and committed these offences, have been a leader in your sport.

“A young, naive foolish young child had formed the view that you loved her.

“In reality you only knew her on the Internet, had never met her before and were fully aware of the age difference.”

The disciplinarian won't tell you you've already wrecked your life. That's righteous cruelty, often excused for the purposes of making an example of someone to deter future bad behavior by others.

If my 12 year old daughter was groomed and then fucked by a 19 year old athlete I probably wouldn't be concerned about the judge being too mean in some meaningless statement.

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