OT: Alabama Teabagging Fan gets 2 years
This guy better hope he goes into a prison with a ton of Bama fans otherwise he's going to find out really fast how often he is going to get teabagged, among other things, while doing his stint.
The question is, would you teabag a drunk OSU fan?
I wouldn't. But i'd be tempted to dump the feces filled OSU cooler on him.
Lesson to be learned here. Don't get so wasted in public that you pass out in public. So with that in mind, what are you drinking this evening?
http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2012/11/29/ala-man-gets-2-years-in-jail-for…
November 30th, 2012 at 10:20 AM ^
If the ESPN story can be taken at face value, the sentence seems unduly harsh (not just "harsh"). The guy lost his job, goes to prison, and has a permanent record, a ton of notoriety, undoubted familial stress, and you have no sympathy for him? C'mon man.
The teabagging was an impulsive, stupid, disgusting, and criminal act to be sure. Especially for a 32 year-old. And deserving of punishment (in my mind on the order of a buttload of community service). But if everyone who did an impulsive stupid act is an "asshole" for life, then I suppose the world is filled to the brim with assholes for life.
It's probably worth noting that the victim here (who is undoubtedly a victim) got so shit-faced that he passed out in public and had no memory of even being at the scene of the crime. The people who put burger wrappers on him are technically guilty of assault and battery. Should we throw those "assholes" in jail too?
Justice without context is no justice at all.
November 30th, 2012 at 10:29 AM ^
And free lunch in Tuscaloosa for the rest of his life.
November 30th, 2012 at 1:21 PM ^
So someone gets drunk and has no memory of being at a crime scene, yet others witnessed an unwelcome sexual advance.
If this is a drunk girl at a frat party does it change your attitude? This was sexual assault.
November 30th, 2012 at 2:49 PM ^
I'm just responding to the second and third sentences because I'm having difficulty interpreting the first sentence of your reply. I certainly don't think that any of this "teabagging" stuff is OK, and my post certainly did not say that.
Anyway, the answer to your question is yes. When you change many of the facts my attitude changes. It wasn't a drunk girl, it was a drunk man. It wasn't at a frat party, it was at a burger joint. If it was a girl at the burger joint, it's a hard call for me because the "sexual" nature of the assault is more questionable. It probably makes me think the crime is worse, but I'd need more information. If it's a drunk girl at a frat party (a private place) then my attitude almost certainly changes. Now you've got a girl surrounded by a bunch of guys in a non-public area. That seems like a bit different animal. How much my attitude changes depends upon the facts (and I'd want to know more about any hypothetical before deciding how much my attitude changes).
To take an extreme example, if the teabagging victim was a young child here, I think the punishment should be much, much more severe. On the other hand, on several occasions I've had friends grab my ass (technically "sexual assault" in some states) during a group photo and really didn't think much of it.* Context matters. The same way that many are (rightfully, IMO) pointing to the defendant here's age. It matters to me that the guy was 32 - if he was 19 I'd probably view the incident differently.
None of the above is to defend the teabagger here. He did a wrong and stupid thing, and is suffering the consequences. The bottom line is that IMO you can be sympathetic to someone without condoning their actions.
*Didn't think much of the grabbing, that is. My opinion of my ass isn't at issue here. Yet.
November 30th, 2012 at 3:00 PM ^
And I agree that context is everything. But let's say the only thing that changes is the victim is now female instead of male. Does that change your thought at all?
My point is that it shouldn't.
November 30th, 2012 at 3:14 PM ^
In theory, it seems the gender of the victim should not make a difference. It's a tougher question than it seems, though. On one hand we have gender-power issues but on the other hand we have a societal trend of ignoring/denying sexual assaults on males. While sensitive to the historic gender-power issues, I'd err on the side of saying it does not make a difference.
Consider this, though. If the victim here was a woman, the burger employee likely doesn't just walk by laughing. And people don't cheer and egg the teabagger on. The teabagger likely gets his ass kicked before he gets his sack anywhere near her face, and gets thrown in the alley with his teeth knocked out. Yet, all-in-all, everyone ends up better off than what really happened.
November 30th, 2012 at 3:20 PM ^
And I think harsh sentancing by the judge is a step in the right direction. I agree with you that society sees this as not-as-big-a-deal because it was a male victim.
I think your 2nd paragraph is a better result. And maybe, societally, sexual assault on males will be seen as enough of an issue that the scenario in your 2nd paragraph happens no matter the victim.
November 30th, 2012 at 8:59 AM ^
in the American justic system, but I'm glad that some kind of example is being made of this guy and the act. The fact that a lot of young people think that this kind of thing is okay, or even that they sleeping drunk LSU fan deserved it, is really troubling. One also can't forget where this kind of thing originates, in a sort of disdain for one's enemies that is also. . . ungallant to say the least. We can all do better.
November 30th, 2012 at 9:04 AM ^
One of the best measures of a culture is how it treats those who are defenseless, such as the mentally ill, the terminally sick, or prisoners of war.
November 30th, 2012 at 9:16 AM ^
Which is why I am disgusted by all the MSU hate on these boards. These people can't help what they are. Shame on us all.
November 30th, 2012 at 9:33 AM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 9:39 AM ^
Better be careful. My uncle Cletus said the south will rise again.
November 30th, 2012 at 9:58 AM ^
totally sounds like a slack-jawed yokel.
November 30th, 2012 at 10:00 AM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 10:51 AM ^
What should those people have done to "help" an idiot who was drunk and passed out? Block the guys sack from touching him? This is kind of ridiculous.
November 30th, 2012 at 11:11 AM ^
It's not like this was some instantaneous act. It played out over a matter of time, and the guy was giving plenty of notice as to what was about to go down. I'm assuming you don't have that info in asking your question.
So with that context, the answer is the bystanders should have intervened, harshly, and said "look, we know this dipshit is passed out in public, but you can't put your scrotum on his face". If necessary, they should have physically restrained him. In no event should they have cheered the primary assailant on in his battery of an unconscious person.
(To be clear, I'm not attacking GetSumBlue here, but once you read the story there's plenty of blame to go around here. The biggest serving goes to the teabagger, but the people filming it, laughing, egging it on, etc., all also acted shamefully.)
November 30th, 2012 at 2:58 PM ^
I saw the video, in its entirety. Personally, I wouldn't have done anything, even now. If the tea bagger was causing physical harm to the guy via a beating or something, now that's a different story. To me, this is disgusting, but not really worth my time.
November 30th, 2012 at 4:41 PM ^
You should spend some time here. There are a lot of things I don't like about living in the south, but if you think the behavior of a small group of wasted 'Bama fans is indicative of an entire region of people, you couldn't be farther off base. Even most of the Tide fans I know (and in Atlanta there are A TON of them who manage to find work here) are generally collegial folks who are glad to talk up their own program, but absolutely won't mind sharing a drink with you while you extoll your own.
Google "Kitty Genovese". Stuff like this happens all the time, in all locations, and in varying degrees of seriousness. This was a vile act which shouldn't be excused and being that I am someone who has had his share of alcohol-related arrests, I'm going to go ahead and claim with Absolute Moral Authority that yes, the 'Bama fan got what he deserved and should consider himself damned lucky that he was given the opportunity to plea-bargain his way out of sex offender status.
But to say that something like this could only happen in "the south" is patently absurd. There are dirtbags everywhere.
November 30th, 2012 at 12:14 PM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 9:12 AM ^
2 years so he'll probably serve like 5 months at most when you factor in good time. Now listen folks I've been known to be a drunk asshole, but don't go slapping your balls on someone's face.
November 30th, 2012 at 9:58 AM ^
says 10 months if he completes a "boot camp" the judge recommended.
I'm ambivalent about the sentence. If you read the story, his life has been turned upside down, and the guy has a kid. On the other hand, would anyone be howling about a harsh sentence if the victim here was a passed-out drunk girl? They might be howling the sentence wasn't steep enough.
November 30th, 2012 at 10:06 AM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 10:11 AM ^
Lesson to be learned here. Don't get so wasted in public that you pass out in public.
I mean, yes, that too, but I think the real lesson is, don't get so wasted in public that you think it's a good idea to stick your nuts in a stranger's face.
November 30th, 2012 at 1:22 PM ^
Saying "don't get so wasted that you pass out in public" is saying that this guy was asking to be teabagged.
Again, gendering it here, is a drunk girl at a party asking to be sexually assaulted?
November 30th, 2012 at 10:14 AM ^
He's a grown-ass man. This guy got what he deserved. I do feel bad for the wife and child who will have to suffer through his stupidity though.
November 30th, 2012 at 10:25 AM ^
To me, the most appalling thing in that story was not the teabagging, but the fact that the group encountered a guy so drunk that they were seriously unsure if he was even alive or not, and their response was to screw around with him and them leave him where they found him.
By comparison I had a party a couple years ago where one of my friends did drink way too much, pass out, and get teabagged by another friend. The difference is we also took care of him, cleaned up his vomit, and kept tabs on him through the night to make sure he was not in serious trouble. Nobody bothered to do that for the victim in this case, so I have a lot less sympathy for the defendant.
November 30th, 2012 at 3:48 PM ^
But in general for the thread....when did dudes all suddenly get the urge to rub their balls on another guys face? Anyone can see why you wouldn't want it done to you....but why would you WANT to do it?? When I was in college you didn't want to pass out around any markers. What changed that guys suddenly aren't getting enough male on male scrotum contact?
November 30th, 2012 at 3:58 PM ^
It's a Southern thing.
/s
November 30th, 2012 at 10:28 AM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 10:31 AM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 11:16 AM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 10:09 PM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 10:34 AM ^
a stupid prank. No way there should have been jail time for that, let alone two years. Only in the South.
November 30th, 2012 at 10:45 AM ^
Maybe if you do it to your friend, then you can just be considered a huge asshole playing a stupid prank (and hopefully have a friendship terminated). However, I agree with the decision that putting your balls on a stranger's face should result in jail time.... though 2 years does seem excessive.
November 30th, 2012 at 12:12 PM ^
and discover your 15 yr old daughter passed out at a party it's ok if I just put my penis in her a few times? As long as i don't kill her or anything right? Oh, and have some freinds video/upload it too?
Cool.
The gender, age and degree of sexual conduct might differ, but it's all in the same category.
2 years is a pretty lenient end of the spectrum sentence considering what's at the other end.
November 30th, 2012 at 12:22 PM ^
and that is a preposterous argument. If you think those situations are even remotely analogous I don't know what more to say to you.
November 30th, 2012 at 1:07 PM ^
You don't think it's in the sexual misconduct category? That makes them analogous, which is precisely why this was prosecuted as a crime.
One end of the spectrum is an adult putting his genitals on a helpless adult's face, one is an adult putting his genitals inside another (equally helpless) person with more serious circumstances.
Welcome to the spectrum of sex offenses.
This is a relatively lenient senctence (out in probably less than a year) as opposed to forcible rape of a minor which can mean inprisonment for the rest of your life.
I don't know what more to say to you.
November 30th, 2012 at 1:24 PM ^
What if he did this to a woman instead of a man? it's still sexual assault. Men can get sexually assaulted by other men, it happens. That's what happened here.
November 30th, 2012 at 4:51 PM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 10:41 AM ^
The guy should not only be humiliated that he has to spend time and prison for such a stupid act but also that his bald-headed giggle stick is almost too small to take out of his pants.
November 30th, 2012 at 11:59 AM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 11:35 AM ^
Maybe we're all missing it, but this is a real life ad like "Don't wake up in a roadside ditch"...
When you get really drunk, you black out. When you black out, you get stupid. When you get stupid, you might teabag someone. When you teabag someone, it will be posted to YouTube. When it's posted to YouTube, you'll be arrested, lose your job, wind up in prison for two years and wait tables at an Olive Garden. Don't wait tables at an Olive Garden.
November 30th, 2012 at 12:06 PM ^
Two years is absolutely ridiculous. 4-5 months at the most would have been appropriate.
November 30th, 2012 at 1:45 PM ^
Some people chop down trees that fall on their house, others place their hand on hot stoves, and then some do things like this. It's a rough life if you're not that bright.