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Are we watching the next campus rape hoax unfold in real time?
DEJA VU
A new college sexual assault scandal has gripped the national consciousness.
It’s a familiar story: a woman files suit alleging a horrific gang rape, accuses her university of failing to protect her and punish her alleged attackers, the media races to amplify the claims, and celebrities and politicians line up to condemn America’s “rape culture.”
I’ve seen this pattern enough times to know it’s worth digging a little deeper.
This case feels oddly similar to other campus rape scandals — the Duke lacrosse case, Rolling Stone’s “UVA rape” story and Columbia’s “Mattress Girl” controversy — where the public narrative raced far ahead of what could actually be established.
Frat bro-esque villains.
A David-v.-Goliath battle between a student and powerful campus administrators and police.
Admittedly fragmented memories of the alleged assault.
A story that changes over time.
And a heckuva lot of money involved.
The Cornell University “gang rape” story checks all of those boxes.
I can’t say with any certainty whether the alleged victim, Jane Doe, is telling the truth about what happened. Nobody outside that room can. But there are already enough contradictions and unanswered questions to make the rush to judgment look incredibly reckless.
So let me walk you through them.