"Fantastic Lies" (2016)

In the latest episode of ESPN’s 30 for 30, we learn that America is indeed a plutocracy. Sure, we all knew that democracy is driven by whoever has the most advertising money, but this one reminds us that the justice system is only for those who can afford it.

But in all seriousness, the story of the Duke Lacrosse team, much like the Salem witch trials, is a reminder of the truly scary thing that the mob-mentality is. There are times in American history when the truth takes a back seat to self-righteousness. And in those times you had better pray that you never get accused of the evil de jure.

No one these days really needs to be told that violence against women is bad, or that race or wealth is no justification for wrongdoing. However, we do need to be reminded that we are a nation that likes to think it follows the rule of law, and one of the most sacred ideas of our judicial system is that you have to do something wrong, and be proven to have done it, to be punished.

Unless you are accused of sexual assault. Then you had better be able to afford a great lawyer and you might as well kiss your good reputation goodbye. Because in that case it is not the weight of the evidence but the seriousness of the accusation that will count.

And the saddest thing about this mentality is that it will eventually hurt women who are really victims. We can only overreact to so many false accusations before we will begin to doubt all of them. Or so one would think.

The other thing I come away with is… some college boys—innocent of rape or not—are immature scum buckets. How creepy is it to think of being at a party with 40 guys where you all pay $800 for two strippers? Or maybe sad is the word I’m looking for. How were these guys the “big men on campus?”