tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post291889146000274324..comments2023-05-16T12:26:09.102+01:00Comments on The Historical House: Opposing the Lynch MobMrs McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18095035617334068201noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post-73659414644323738032016-07-01T02:14:31.695+01:002016-07-01T02:14:31.695+01:00The villain of the story, after Turner, who not on...<b>The villain of the story, after Turner, who not only raped a woman, he put her through the humiliation of his trial, is the media, and I include anyone who puts fingers to keyboard about this trial and writes untruths. I have read outright lies about the Turner family and outrageous speculation.</b><br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN7_pqgK8V0Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post-50519741685807432852016-06-15T09:03:03.340+01:002016-06-15T09:03:03.340+01:00Jane-Finch is still notorious. I think you are rig...Jane-Finch is still notorious. I think you are right about the problems with the drinking age. If it were 18, as it is in the UK (and Quebec, if memory serves), universities could serve it to the majority of students in controlled circumstances--and make some money, by the way. Another problem is that American college culture seems to view alcohol primarily as a mind-altering substance. Appropriate enjoyment of, and responsible use of, alcohol should be taught in the home. If parents noisily condemned Miller Light (or whatever) as poison and extolled craft beer, children would get the message that cheap beer is bad, and good beer is meant to be savoured. (Responsible American parents teach their kids gun safety, why not teach their kids alcohol safety?) Same goes with wine. Meanwhile, it may startle both American and British girls to know that Italian and French women are almost never seen drunk in public. Great swathes of Europe frown on drunkenness, even or especially in the young, who should have been brought up to know better.Mrs McLeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18095035617334068201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post-8702402209704026622016-06-12T22:04:20.256+01:002016-06-12T22:04:20.256+01:00I went to a number of parties that were cool in th...I went to a number of parties that were cool in the Animal House style back in the early 1980s. They were far more controlled, at least in terms of who was able to attend them, than the ones I read about in news stories of American fraternity houses and so on. Most of the ones I went to took place on campus and non-students were severely discouraged from attending, making discipline easier. Even the manger of our college pub checked ID and threw out any non-students who tried to gate-crash. Perhaps that's because we were so close to the Jane-Finch corridor, notorious then (and now?) for being rough and dangerous. <br /><br />The *practical* problem with American college parties, the one that leads to so many disasters, is that American students are not allowed to drink until age 21. This means that they can only have parties at which alcohol is consumed in private houses and 'frat' houses, which means that overseeing who attends and how much alcohol is consumed is very difficult. Going to parties and dances on the York campus, I was always attended by a whole group of both male and female friends, all of whom watched out for the female members of the group. At parties off-campus, I went to the houses of friends where I had one nasty experience that had nothing to do with alcohol as far as I could tell. <br /><br />Alias ClioAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post-55102583636813526932016-06-11T11:31:48.010+01:002016-06-11T11:31:48.010+01:00I think "university experience" IS a myt...I think "university experience" IS a myth when it means the Coolest Party Ever, whether that is some "Animal House" type kegger or the plovers' egg lunch in "Brideshead Revisited." After thinking about this off and on for about 20 years, I think the best way to approach university is as if it were a JOB--or at very least an apprenticeship program. <br /><br />I recall having a snotty idea that university was to make you a cultured person, not to train you for a job. I was wrong. It should be both. You become a cultured person WHILE you train for a job. Many arts institutions have student discounts and there are able opportunities to study abroad, which is an incredibly enriching experience. <br /><br />Even though I realize now that the "rib eye steaks" were probably a luxury that threatened the household budget, I was icked out more by all the "my son can't eat" and "my life is over" stuff from Turner Pere et Fils. That said, it worked on the judge, didn't it? <br /><br />I hope this case and the furor tattoos "Do not sexually touch people who are too drunk to give consent" to everyone's brain. <br />Mrs McLeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18095035617334068201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post-42966519697265948902016-06-10T22:33:40.748+01:002016-06-10T22:33:40.748+01:00I read through the police report; beyond all the a...I read through the police report; beyond all the alcohol that was being consumed, I was surprised by how many people didn't know each other and who didn't even go to the school. It all seems to be part of this mythical 'university experience' that I've heard high-schoolers/first-year undergrads talk about. I'm not entirely sure what they're getting at, or if they just mean the ability to party, drink, and not be in direct supervision of their parents. Really boggles my mind; I don't know, maybe they all need to go out and work for a year or two to be able to afford the partying when they do eventually go to uni?<br />What really got me about the defendant's plea for a light sentence was that he was going to become a speaker against campus alcohol. Really?!? It just seems like a smarmy way to travel around, 'mea-culpa-ing,' and incidentally proving that you can get away with rape. I'm not sure if that was the kid's idea or someone else's, but I think that had the greatest 'ick-factor' for me, beyond the actual assault. Truthfinderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00937672867378660928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post-69430844826788793972016-06-10T17:29:10.188+01:002016-06-10T17:29:10.188+01:00Yes, it is unfair to the athletes. If they get hur...Yes, it is unfair to the athletes. If they get hurt they lose the scholarship. It is clear that they are there to win and make money for the schools. The only one in administration that might care for the players are the coaches. It is sad.Mari Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07171764404064781371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post-45321677235085608702016-06-10T09:53:38.520+01:002016-06-10T09:53:38.520+01:00*That said, BC certainly cared about their grades....*That said, BC certainly cared about their grades. Mrs McLeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18095035617334068201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post-82797147132023972622016-06-10T09:40:38.193+01:002016-06-10T09:40:38.193+01:00Yes, I remember the Duke lacrosse case, and the He...Yes, I remember the Duke lacrosse case, and the Heisman trophy rings a faint bell. I have no idea who Johnny Manziel is. Must Google. <br /><br />If the system is unfair--and it certainly seems to be--then this must be addressed. Quite clearly, justice has not been done in the Turner case. <br /><br />I have to confess, I've felt a little sorry for American college athletes since I went to BC. (I feel sorriest for those in the seriously dangerous sports, like American football.) Those kids are making millions and millions for their colleges with their bodies, often putting their bodies at risk, for no salary. Yes, they get the "privilege" of what would be an otherwise expensive university education, and yes, in many sports this is a necessary step towards a professional sports career. But these boys and girls are used as a means to a financial end, and nobody seems to protect them from the pressures of the office. My impression I got at BC is that nobody gave a damn for the morals--and the immortal souls--of the athletes. <br /><br />For me the question to ask after "Did he get such a light punishment because the justice system privileges athletes?" is "Did his status as a college athlete play a role in his choice to commit the crime?" Is American college sport a school in vice?<br /> Mrs McLeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18095035617334068201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post-32279336220477416402016-06-10T06:07:23.447+01:002016-06-10T06:07:23.447+01:00Turners family may not be rich, but a successful c...Turners family may not be rich, but a successful college athlete is at the top of the class hierarchy while playing the sport. A lot of very bad behavior gets dismissed. Johnny Manziel (Jonny Football) had lots of alcohol related charges disappear because he was a Heisman winner. I said before he got a very light sentence, where I think even a light nonathlete would have received a harsher punishment.<br /><br />A notable exception is the Duke LaCrosse case.Mari Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07171764404064781371noreply@blogger.com