Students Furious That Official Described Alleged Rape as 'Alleged Rape'

The Left has all but given up on the civil society in exchange for “social justice.” With rape claims, expressing any doubt is termed “victim blaming.” Further, even if you do believe it, you’re not supposed to use the word “alleged” to describe that “a claim” is literally “an allegation.”

Yep.

That’s basically what students at the University of Missouri-Kansas City are taking a stand for as they demand that a student board be given the power to fire officials. One of the issues sparking the demand was a school official referring to an alleged rape as an alleged rape:

Students at the University of Missouri, Kansas City could soon decide to boot staff and administrators responsible for “victim-blaming and invalidation of rape” if officials accede to the latest demands of campus activists.

One object of students’ ire: an email from Vice Chancellor Mel Tyler in which he “routinely” referred to an alleged rape as “alleged.”

They are also upset that the reported rape went unacknowledged by administrators for two days after local media began reporting on it.

[…]

A proposal circulated by students at the meeting accused administrators of “victim-blaming.” They said by “routinely prefacing the word ‘rape’ with the word ‘alleged,’” Tyler’s email and “University News articles” had committed “invalidation of rape.”

(The campus newspaper also had trouble consistently describing the reported encounter, twice describing the rape as “alleged” and four times referring to the anonymous accuser as a “victim.” It also called the charged man a “perpetrator.”)

Those familiar with justice, as opposed to its polar opposite, “social justice,” understand that the use of the word “alleged” doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the validity of the claim. It is simply the proper description of a situation that has not yet progressed beyond the allegation stage.

Many alleged things are later proven to have occurred.

Conversely — wait for it — many alleged things are later proven to have not occurred.

For example: one might have alleged that college students would know the definition of “allege,” and then read this article which proves that to not be the case.

Look, there is strong evidence that victim blaming used to be a massive problem. We know that women who were found to actually have been the victims of rape were accused of “asking for it” simply because of where they were standing or how they were dressed. This is wrong on every level, and pretty much everyone looks at that as an absolutely vile response these days. However, using the word that means “not yet proven” isn’t victim-blaming. Advising women to do certain things to avoid predators isn’t victim-blaming. Saying something is an “alleged” crime isn’t victim-blaming.

A girl was allegedly raped while unconscious on a college campus. That’s a disturbing allegation.

So how about we act like adults, figure out what happened, and perhaps not taint the jury pool rather than strut around campus encouraging a lynching.