Duke Women's "attire" exposes Boston Globe columnist

Boston Globe columnist and editor Jackie MacMullan wants us to believe she’s really concerned about the Duke Women's lacrosse players. I wonder if she fooled anyone.

MacMullan begins:

They want to make a statement, yet they will not speak.

They want to concentrate solely on the most important task in front of them -- winning a national championship -- but with a conscious choice of game-time attire, they will outfit themselves with the ultimate distraction.

And just what is the “game-time attire” that so concerns MacMullan?

Sweatbands with “Innocent” on them.

It has to do with alleged "gang-rape" and indictments. Remember?

MacMullan tells Globe readers other college sports teams have had bad experiences. She’s seen it all.

What concerns her now, MacMullan says, is that the Duke lacrosse women may be too close to the Duke lacrosse men; and therefore too willing to identify with and support them in their current "vulnerability."

MacMullan explains:

It's possible the Duke lacrosse women are feeling a bit vulnerable themselves these days. The Duke women have likely experienced a range of emotions, from shock to anger to sadness.

Ah, yes, we've all heard how emotional women can be.

I’ve witnessed some of it myself, including many women's disgust and outrage at the inflammatory and biased news reporting of the Duke lacrosse case

But MacMullan excludes disgust and outrage from the range of emotions she says the Duke women have experienced. Who’s surprised?

And who’s surprised that she fails to mention that many women experiencing great emotional stress act with cool intelligence and great courage. They often do so while experiencing condescension, derision and outright opposition from clods male and female.

Now let's go on and finish with MacMullan.

She warns the Duke lacrosse women of the consequences of their “game-time attire:”

There will be backlash from those who support the alleged victim.

No one doubts that. The accuser’s supporters have printed “vigilante posters” with face photos of the Men’s lacrosse players and “Wanted” stamped on them.

They’ve helped bring the New Black Panther Party to Durham.

Death threats have been shouted at the indicted.

The Duke lacrosse women know that the shouts of "Justice will be done" are verbatim what was shouted in the South prior to lynchings, and in the North prior to race riots.

I’m sure the Duke women thought of all that; just as I’m sure they know they’ll encounter some of that in Boston, along with many people who are decent and fair-minded.

In case anyone got near the end of MacMullan’s column and was still fooled by her affectation of concern for the Duke women, MacMullan gives herself away with a bungled attempt at sarcastic humor:

But the truth is the Duke women don't know whether those lacrosse players are innocent any more than we do -- unless they were present that night, and all accounts suggest they weren't.

Isn't that pathetic.

Bostonians are reputed to be intelligent people. I don’t question that.

So I wonder what they think when one of their hometown papers serves them a column like MacMullan’s.

Any journalist, blogger or reader want to offer an answer?

If I get enough responses, I'll bring them forward from the thread and put them in a post.