To the Editor:
I just wanted to raise two issues which seems to have been absent from consideration in the writing about the anonymous posters which were recently put up accusing someone of rape. The first is that there is no evidence that anything involving rape ever happened.
I think it is important to conceptualize this as an incident involving character assassination, not an incident involving accusations of rape. If we treat it as worthy of generating suspicions of rape or sexual assault, we encourage such anonymous accusations as effective ways of connecting such terms with a particular person. If, instead, we view it as the victimization of the individual pictured, those who might consider making anonymous accusations will hesitate to do so, and may choose to take more appropriate measures, if there is a real issue, or attempt to discredit the potential victim in other ways, if simple character assassination is the goal.
The other issue I wish to raise is that the real effect of this postering has been to give the Dartmouth community cause to doubt accusers of rape. This creates an environment which is more hostile to victims of rape/sexual assault who choose to come forward in a more responsible manner, because they have to face a more skeptical audience. While I understand that there is a great deal of frustration which accompanies the knowledge that the justice system, for whatever reason, cannot serve justice, this sort of action only makes the system worse. I would extend a plea to anyone with a real complaint who might consider an action like this postering -- consider the effect of your actions on others in similar situations. The behavior of the people responsible for this incident has made it more difficult to get justice, not less.
