This week I was told about a high school where seven coaches – 7! – are being investigate for what is being called “inappropriate relations” with students. The coaches – 7! – are all men, and one of them is accused of doing this with three girls, one being pregnant. My source, who is also a coach, was asked for his phone, which he gladly turned over. When you are innocent, you don’t fight that kind of thing – something we should be doing with the Epstein case – and this coach is innocent. And while it seems that all of the girls are willing participants, I am once again astounded at the language we use in these kinds of cases. These are not “young women” – they are girls. These are not “relationships” – they are rape. And they all might look like Marilyn Monroe, but that doesn’t matter. If they aren’t 18, they are minors – vulnerable minors – who should be protected from these disgusting men.
But we really don’t care about children in America all that much, do we? Until fairly recently, many states allowed children to be married off if their parents or a judge gave permission. Children go to school hungry while state officials cut programs that will feed them. They don’t get healthcare if their parents are poor – my family was a perfect example of this 60 years ago. Instead of protecting children, we make excuses. Instead of going after the perverts involved in Epstein’s evil empire, we protect the rapists, drawing black lines over their names. We don’t protect the innocent – we protect the wealthy and powerful. And these teachers accused of these crimes, if found guilty, will probably make a lot of excuses for what they have done. And they will get a slap on their hands.
This kind of behavior isn’t inappropriate, and it isn’t a relationship – it’s rape. We continue to cover up for men’s bad behavior, and we support it in our laws and in our religion. We allow men to control female bodies and female votes. We point to stories in the Bible about people like Father Abraham, Lot, and King David, refusing to use the words that are necessary. Lot raped his daughters after offering them to be raped by the violent crowd of men trying to attack the angels (Genesis 19). Abraham pimped out his wife (Genesis 20), and David raped Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11); and yet, we refuse to acknowledge those crimes. Men justify their evil behavior, using soft words and lame excuses. We are supposed to protect each other, not offer women and children up as sacrifices. When will this stop? When will we get the courage to make these degenerates pay for their crimes? Not today, it seems.
Prayer – Holy God, I don’t know how You can forgive us for allowing these terrible acts to continue. God, have mercy. Amen.
Today’s art is Katie Berggren.