Horrible

[Cole Parker]

I find everything about this story disgusting and wrong.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...0,1400625.story

Everyone is wrong. The kids and the adults.

When does common sense play a role in life?

Too often, it doesn't.

C

[Rubilacxe]

I find everything about this story disgusting and wrong.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...0,1400625.story

Everyone is wrong. The kids and the adults.

When does common sense play a role in life?

Too often, it doesn't.

C

Cole, while I agree in large part I think you have to view this through multiple cultural windows. See Edward T. Hall's books: The Hidden Dimension, The Silent Language, and Beyond Culture.

These works on intercultural anthropolgy reflects Hall's many years studying various cultures around the world.

This is not an attempt by me to lessen these heinous acts but gently to point out how the Liberian father may not be able to view this act as an Westener might. Nor do we know the cultural milieu that these boys came from that empowered them to act this way.

I can't see how emprisoning them without some form of re-education or re-sensitizing their cultural perspective will change them for the better.

[Trab]

Frankly, I don't give a hoot in hell about the cultural reasons for this behaviour. It is completely unacceptable to ME, and I suspect most of the rest of the people in North America, to blame an underage girl for being a victim of rape. The father's behaviour and attitude may be perfectly 'correct' for Africa, but he's not there. My own gut feeling is that he should be sent back to where that behaviour is acceptable, making sure to not send the other kids into a similar danger. Failing that, at the very least strip him of his kids here, as he has been proven to be worthless as a protector of his child. The shame is his all right, but for failing to care for his daughter properly, and then blaming her for that.

[colinian]

The 8 year old girl didn't bring shame on her community. Her father did. He'll soon realize that.

Colin

[JamesSavik]

I know we're supposed to be politically correct and respect other cultures and values but I refuse in this case.

This is an example of a primitive, backwards culture that is repulsive in all respects.

It is ugly face of Islam that we are supposed to ignore.

[Graeme]

I know we're supposed to be politically correct and respect other cultures and values but I refuse in this case.

This is an example of a primitive, backwards culture that is repulsive in all respects.

It is ugly face of Islam that we are supposed to ignore.

The thing that struck home the most for me were the younger ages -- 9 and 10. My two boys are 8 and 10.... I just can't imagine them being involved in something like this and I can't imagine the sort of culture/upbringing where they would even consider it! The most generous I can be is that they were just following the lead of the eldest boy and believed that because he said it was okay, that it was (and even there, I don't believe my boys would do that).

[ChrisR]

I just stumbled onto this thread and did a search for "Four boys charged in the rape of an 8-year-old girl".

It brought up more than 10 pages of hits with this and similar crimes all across the nation and around the world. I gave up after 3 pages, but for the record the oldest boy in this case received probation, the others were charged as juveniles. One of the 9-year-olds was being 'educated' on American justice so he would be competent for trial.

What's shocking is not just this case but how many similar cases are out there. And not limited to the US. I frankly don't see a solution beyond the blah blah of "teach them respect" stuff. Tell me all about how well that's working so far.

[Joe]

James Savik. "It is ugly face of Islam that we are supposed to ignore."

Meaning no disrespect, and having no tolerance whatsoever for fundamentalists of any stripe, I do feel the need point out that Liberia is an overwhelmingly Christian country (85%).

So in this case, it is the ugly face of Christianity that we are supposed to ignore. Or could it be more complex than that?

[Chris James]

I can fully understand Cole's horror and disgust over this incident. Just why the boys involved thought it was acceptable to assault this young girl, any girl, says a lot about their parents and the mindset in their families. Of course the 14 year old was the ringleader, and in a just world he would take the blame. Try something like this under Sharia law and he would be castrated.

But shunning the victim for bringing shame on the family is an absurd cultural aberration that has no place in these United States. The father should be stripped of all his children and deported if he can't understand the shame he has brought to his family. Young girls need to be defended, protected, and he did neither of those. His child will suffer for the rest of her life and she would be better off with other parents.

[Nigel Gordon]

Of course the 14 year old was the ringleader, and in a just world he would take the blame.

Don't jump to the conclusion that the oldest boy was the ringleader. There has been some research in this area where it has been found that often it is the younger children in the group who instigate and lead such instances. The older boys go along with it as they do not want to be shown up by their younger friends.

I can well remember an incident when I was eleven the small 'gang' I was part of broke into a disused factory to find a place to smoke. The oldest member of the gang was a boy of thirteen, but the person who instigated it all was my next door neighbour at the time who was like me eleven and the smallest member of the gang.

[Chris James]

I suppose I think the boy with the biggest equipment would lead the horde to rape. A 14 year old would have the sexual urges the younger ones would not. We know nothing about the ethnic backgrounds of the rapists so it is hard to tell if they are involved in this cultural aberration. No matter, the law will treat the 14 year old as an adult, and if found guilty he will go to prison where he will become intimately familiar with the concept of forcible rape.