1:07 p.m. - January 12, 2004
When will there be a moratorium on suing others for your life?
A few days ago the news highlighted sexual abuse allegations by five former students of a private school here in California, four of whom repressed their memories until fairly recently (all the men are in their mid-30s). This morning I read that one of the accused committed suicide and I find myself caught between being angry and sad about what transpired. I don�t buy the notion of repressed memories at all and the recent wave of accusations and settlements seems to be opportunism on the one hand and a media-encouraged frenzy on the other. Combine the two, and I wonder how many reputations are, or will be, ruined by our litigious love fest.
I wonder if abuse � by which I�m referring to CSA � that was little more than a touchy-feel, sit-in-my-lap once situation is really abuse in the I�m-suing-you-or-whomever-has-money sense. I�d think that type of experience could be forgotten � repressed? � especially taking into account age factors, but for these five men, each of whom claim rape and sodomy in hotel rooms, school vans, and elsewhere when they were in high school, I�m doubtful and confused at how quickly events could be forgotten, only to resurface now.
Part of me doesn�t believe most of the allegations out there. Whatever the reason, I suspect the really bad stuff is never reported or acted on simply because it�s too � something. Difficult, painful, humiliating. It�s difficult enough for me to talk about it in a room full of others who�ve experienced similar outside influences, much less tell a reporter or a news conference, in addition to lawyers or family members.
The other part of me hates these people who come forward because the spectacle, the media, the so-called epidemic embarrasses me.
This national culture of victimization and victimhood drives me up the wall.
