2008-01-10 The arrogant savagery of the bien pensant

Some lacrosse players had a stripper (who turned out to be black) round to a party. She said she had been raped (no one in particular, she randomly picked 3 of them later on). The evidence overwhelming pointed to the fact that she was lying. An out of control DA witheld evidence of innocence while parading around in the national media dragging the players' names through the mud.

The book takes you through the appalling reporting of the case by much of the media, who projected their own prejudices onto the case. So, in fact, did the academics of Duke University, who denounced the lacrosse players without evidence and changed class syllabi to analyse historical examples of black women being raped by white men. Hardly any of them have since apologized.

This book will shock you on many levels. It is a great read for anybody - I finished it within a couple of days. If also you happen to work in a law-enforcement related area, the media, or at a university (as I do) then this book is instructive as to the pitfalls those in your profession should avoid as they try to do their jobs.