http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/16/lauren-redfern-high-schoo_n_1283779.html?ncid=webmail2#s439509&title=Stacy_Schuler
It's about Laura Redfern, a 25-year-old teacher who was arrested for having sex with a 17-year-old boy from her high school. At the moment, Redfern is being held without bond at the Eagle County Detention Center in Colorado.
Here's Laura:
I know that teachers aren't supposed to have sex with their students. I realize that some of these women have issues, and some are trying to relive their high school years. And I know that if men are prosecuted for doing this, then it's only fair that women be too.
I also think that grownups who molest 10-year-olds should be fried.
But yet...somehow....I just can't work up a whole lotta outrage about Redfern's crime.
Do you think the 17-year-old she had sex with is now permanently traumatized? Is he ashamed of himself, or do you think that maybe he boasted about it to a few friends? Do those friends feel pity for him, or envy? And how exactly will word of this liaison affect his social standing at the high school?
Go ahead, take a wild guess.
To me, the funniest thing about the Huffpost article is the way they kept referring to the 17-year-old, who freely admitted to police that the four month long relationship was consensual, as "the victim."
But that may just be my twisted perspective.
Perhaps the residents of her hometown feel differently. Yep, they probably feel safer waking the streets knowing that Redfern is locked away.
Posts
11 comments:
The media seems to like reporting these "female teacher sex with student" stories. Here's a resume piece:
http://www.wnd.com/2011/06/39783/
But do the data show that female teachers are more likely to sexually prey on their students than male teachers?
G
G --
Wow, that is a big list. You're right, the media does like to report on this a lot. But somehow I think males are more likely to prey on female students. I also think that this stuff goes way underreported; it happened at my high school (with male teachers and female students), and I'm sure it happened at my college as well. Of course, the teacher-student thing hadn't been criminalized back then.
Hi John,
Let me just say what's Just Not Said, if I may. When I was anywhere between say 13 and up, I would have felt absolutely honored to have had sex with a hot older teacher--and I don't apologize and I do not believe it would have damaged me in any way. The opposite. That said, I think it's wrong for a male teacher to have sex with an underage female. I know it's a double standard, but that's just what I think. The bottom line is that I believe men and women are wired very differently. Brian
Brian --
I would have felt exactly the same in high school.
That lucky boy got some hot pussy, I'm happy for him.
Anon --
That pretty much sums it up.
Most people would be more inclined to think of this as a crime if the perpetrator was 300 pounds and ugly. Then she would be perceived as taking advantage. Somehow when the teacher is attractive she doesn’t seem like a predator. But it’s really the same thing, in my view. Whether the kid is really damaged, I don’t know, probably not. But in either case the woman is taking advantage of someone whose grades she controls, and who is too young to consent fairly.
Julie
Julie --
What you say is true, had she been 300 pounds she would have been perceived differently. But she wasn't 300 pounds, and if she had been, I doubt she could have "taken advantage" of that 17 year old. I also think that most 17 year old guys are perfectly capable of making that kind of decision for themselves. Also, just so you know, I don't think she controlled his grades, or at least any that counted. She was a gym teacher and the girl's basketball coach. If he did happen to be in her gym class, doubt very much that he would have felt his grades were on the line. And colleges pretty much are going to ignore your grade for gym class anyway.
PS -- She evidently led her basketball team to a 1 - 17 record this past year. Personally, I'd rather see her prosecuted for that.
Compare this to Alex Tinsley who now sits in prison. Granted, the boy was 18, but it really seems there is a double-standard in sentencing.
It seems if it's a man, he's assumed to be a predator and if it's a woman, she's depressed or somehow has a reason for a fling with a hot young student.
People can fall in love with their students, but they are obligated not to act on those feelings.
Anon --
I agree, there is a double standard in sentencing, and there shouldn't be. But having said that, and this is the main point of this post, I just don't think the 17-year-old boy here was damaged as much as the typical girl would be by a much older man (just looked up Tinsley, he looks like he's in his 40's). I'm not personally acquainted with any of the parties involved, so certainly can't say for sure, but my gut says that the average 17 year old boy who goes to bed with a 27 year old woman is, if anything, better off for the experience, whereas when the age gap is bigger, especially if the kid is 14 or 15, serious damage may be done.
Post a Comment