Duke Lacrosse

Outstanding post by Robert KC Johnson

Shifting the Goalposts

As the presumed “facts” initially associated with the Duke lacrosse case have melted away, those on campus who aggressively condemned the lacrosse players have found themselves in an uncomfortable position. While a few columnists (such as David Brooks and Nicholas Kristof) have revised their opinions in light of the Coleman Committee report and the recently released prosecution documents, no one at Duke has publicly done so. A small minority have ignored the new material, and even leveled new charges against the lacrosse players. But most still condemn the lacrosse players, though now with a focus on issues relating to alcohol—acting as if their earlier critiques, which centered on allegations of the players’ alleged racism or sexism, or insinuations about the likelihood of rape, never occurred. This shifting of the goalposts is at best intellectually dishonest, and at worst shameful.

RTWT

The activistas defend their anti-lacrosse position with an ever-changing set of "arguments" and stubbornly ignore the facts that make them look like dupes. When forced to confront those inconvenient facts they shriek "strippers", "drinking", "public urination"! They call to mind Marlowe's character who answered the charge of fornication with "but that was in another country; And besides, the wench is dead."

Speaking of old plays. Wouldn't this one provide a great title for the book that recounts the Duke travesty and the dashed hopes of the campus activistas?