Comments on: Arrest this Woman!

By: Adam Selene

Adam Selene — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 18:32:15 +0000

Shrugs, VRB, I see little point to continuing the conversation. Political Correctness has only made race relations worse, not better. I’m planning to write an entry about the new Superintendent of the Seattle School District. I have a feeling you’re not going to like it. Fair warning now. I’m sick to death of the PC approach to race that is making things far worse.

By: Stephen Littau

Stephen Littau — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 18:25:58 +0000

TBIGZ comments have been deleted. The N-word has no place in response to any of my posts.

By: VRB

VRB — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 13:12:44 +0000

Adam,
That story is not hard to find, white woman, black college team, but no one looks for that. I am not saying they should, because I don’t think its this bloggers responsibity to judge situations like these. This kind of response does nothing to advance the dialog about rape. It’s just incindary. I think decisions should be local prosecutors decisions. I say again the intent of this blog is not pure and this kind of thing will affect how black women are viewed I have been around long enough to know the utopian view you have, doesn’t exist.

By: John Hamilton

John Hamilton — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 07:35:15 +0000

Well, TBIGZ, this is exactly the kind of talk that just perpetuates anti-black sentiments. You are just re-enforcing the stereotype.

By: Greg White

Greg White — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 06:24:11 +0000

Crystal Mangum is just another oppurtunistic Carrion feeder who would jump at the chance to get a payday no matter what race or creed the men came from. Whether the men were rich Black basketball players or The Russian Dogsled team. Crystal would have gotten greedy with anybody had she the chance. The State of North Carolina is in fear of “Black Backlash” so they decided to give this black ass rat a pass. Had those White boys been wrong and they would have castrated them in the town square…Charge Crystal Mangum and stick it to her and slap a civil judgement on her so that everytime she feels like doin another batchelour party – her pay can goto those 3 boys. In an islamic society that little lie on her part would earn her a stoning. I see no reason why we shant make this animal pay.

By: Gaye McPhelan

Gaye McPhelan — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 17:26:33 +0000

I have never been so outraged in my 54 years.
I have emotional problems too but I don’t make up stories that I have been raped. It is the old abuse excuse. She should be prosecuted for her lies right along with Michael Nyfong.
The double standard between the black and white races is a disgrace. It is at the point that if you are black you can say anything you like no matter how horrible it is but if you are white you cannot say anything about Blacks or Sharpton and Jackson will be right there to protest.
This case and the Imus situation has turned me in to a racist. And that is sad.

By: Adam Selene

Adam Selene — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 15:27:31 +0000

VRB, I don’t understand. Here is a group of people that think the Jim Crow laws were abhorrent. A group of us who believe that everyone should be treated exactly the same, regardless of race. Give me a story that is as blatantly over the top as this one, but it involves a white woman and a group of black men and I will bet you any amount of money you care to bet that Stephen would feel the same way, say the same things.

Now, did people, including both blacks and whites, react in very poor, even racist ways? Yes, they did. But, perpetuating and playing to those behaviors by politically correct treatment of people based on race and gender is not going to fix the problem. We’ve been trying that for decades and it’s getting worse, not better.

And seriously, VRB, your statements came across as judgmental of people based on their race and gender, not their actions.

By: VRB

VRB — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 11:51:46 +0000

Adam, I would not like it, but my reasons would be slightly different, I admit. The difference being that I know she would not become an iconic figure. I would see it as an unnecessary trashing of that person, I think some bloggers think they stand at the “right hand of god” and can destroy with impunity.
As I have had said in these comments, it would serve no purpose and would not advance any dialog about rape.
Having a page on Wikipedia, that’s not iconography?
Certain images of black people have always had an impact on the perception of us. I think part of that was why this mess got started to begin with. I have often wondered why that team chose black women to perform. Some said it was because their services were cheap, but I wondered if it was the perception that they were more sexualized. I am just speculating, but as a black woman when I first heard of this or before I had heard any details that’s what came to my mind. Why? Because I know of some instances this has been the case. I know some of you will question this last statement, because you think you know black people lives better than they do.
If you don’t get it there is not any other way I can get you to understand it. None of you got indignant when an example of a white woman was brought up. If this was so important of an object lesson then why wasn’t there more research and have a white woman’s picture next to Mangum’s. What does this tell me, that this is a response to a black woman. It is saying how dare a black woman ruin these white men lives. This post is not an intellectually pure response or indignation and I am calling a “spade a spade.” You may call me racist, but I think you should check yourselves.
Growing up in Jim Crow has been more than an insult than any of you can come up with here.

By: Kochanie

Kochanie — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 04:56:22 +0000

Maybe I should better explain what should happen to Crystal Gail Mangum,…What I would like to see is for her to at least have to go through the process of being arrested, posting bail (or not), hiring a defense attorney, and having her live put under the microscope as her victims did. If all of that were to happen, even if the grand jury did not indict her, I think this would serve as a valuable lesson…Itâ€™s my hope that Crystal Gail Mangumâ€™s reputation is completely destroyed. Itâ€™s my hope that she will not have any new clients for her escort service.

Your wish may very well be granted, Mr. Littau. Ms. Mangum has the dubious honor of her own page on Wikipedia. What the end result of this will be, I cannot say.

What do I wish for Crystal Gail Mangum? I hope that she can obtain counseling, that she can end her addiction to alcohol and drugs and turn her life around. That she can be a role model for her children and show them that they can change their lives. And most of all, should she succeed in turning her life around, I hope you will not scoff, but congratulate her on what will be no small achievement.

Kochanie

By: Adam Selene

Adam Selene — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 02:01:06 +0000

What you said certainly sounds like you are saying that white men will judge black women negatively because of this picture and blog post. Every time I read the words you wrote, I can’t come up with any other meaning. I thought long and hard about your comments before I said anything. I tried very hard to just point out how it looks without making any other inferences.

What you would say if Mangum was white and a black man posted her picture on his blog and wrote that post?

By: VRB

VRB — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 01:03:25 +0000

I said what I said, not what any of you have said I have said.

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 00:43:31 +0000

I don’t care if she’s balck, or a woman. I just care that she’s a liar, who defrauded the people, the media, and the government, and attempted to permanently destroy the lives of, and revoke the rights of these young men.

She should be in prison. Tawana Brawley should STILL be there.

She has set back every real rape victim, past, present, or future; never mind the state of race relations in this country.

And you think she shouldn’t be punished?

You’re mad.

By: Adam Selene

Adam Selene — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 22:25:15 +0000

VRB:

I have not accused any one of anything.

Of course you haven’t. You have just made broad, sweeping generalizations that imply that people will react a certain way because of their skin color and gender and Mangum’s skin color and gender. If a white man made those exact same statements, what would your reaction be?

I don’t think you can make any comment about my “prejudice” and my “judgment” because I haven’t said a word about Mangum herself, what I think of her, what I think of the situation, etc. I don’t yet know what I think, fully. I very carefully chose the few words in my comment to avoid saying anything specific about my opinions of this event. And I’m continuing to, because I really don’t care to voice my somewhat unformed opinions at this time.

By: Stephen Littau

Stephen Littau — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 19:12:36 +0000

Maybe I should better explain what should happen to Crystal Gail Mangum. I don’t really believe that she will be prosecuted. Even if she was, it would be very difficult to prove in a court of law that she intentionally lied to investigators, particularly if she played the mental health card. What I would like to see is for her to at least have to go through the process of being arrested, posting bail (or not), hiring a defense attorney, and having her live put under the microscope as her victims did. If all of that were to happen, even if the grand jury did not indict her, I think this would serve as a valuable lesson.

Itâ€™s my hope that Crystal Gail Mangum’s reputation is completely destroyed. Itâ€™s my hope that she will not have any new clients for her escort service. Itâ€™s my hope that Nifong and everyone who played a role in hiding evidence is sued for everything they have. Most of all, itâ€™s my hope that the media and the general public will stop and consider the other side before jumping to a conclusion of guilt or innocence. (In case anyone is wondering, I did not have an opinion one way or the other until certain things came out about the evidence and contradictory statements of Mangum.)

By: Aimee

Aimee — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 18:50:49 +0000

VRB,
You act as though that this is the only blog that has put up her picture. You act as though Stephen should have put up a more flattering picture of her in order to not make all black women be looked at like a criminal, that is crazy. O’Reilly had a nicer picture of her, does that help shine a better light on the black women out there? Give your fellow man some credit, I think people have brains and can come to their own conclusions about her and about the people they meet. No one is going to walk down the street and see a black woman and think, “Oh, she must be JUST LIKE that woman that cried rape against those Duke boys”. Are we to also assume that all white girl singers act like Brittany Spears? Because her picture is plastered all over the place too, and a lot of not so flattering ones at that.