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Bill Cosby - Rapist, or Victim ???

Bill Cosby

  • Total voters
    81
Hatuey said:
... Can I ask on what you base #1 and #2?
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One is pretty much common knowledge.

"Estimates show that between 50–90% of rapes go unreported" (Rape Myths and Facts | wellwvu | West Virginia University)

Rape Is Grossly Underreported In The U.S., Study Finds

"The most recent research, however, indicates that a majority of rape victims still do not report their attacks to police." (Reporting of Sexual Violence Incidents | National Institute of Justice)


Number two is a bit more difficult. There is no actual official number as it is extremely hard to get down to and they may be headed under the term unfounded report, however that doesn't mean that it was an accusation. The latest stat I heard was from a study in Britain which found that .6% of all rape allegations were false. (Women Don’t Lie About Rape As Often As You Think They Do » Balloon Juice)

Yes, I do understand that it is a different country, culture and what not. However, it still does mean something as studies regarding rape allegations are rarely done. Let's say that the US is 10 times worse, that would only take the number up to 6% or in otherwords 9.4 out of 10 rape allegations would be true.

EDIT: Found some more info. "According to the FBI, between 1.5% and 8% of rape accusations were later found to be false." "With that being said, there are a variety of other resources such as the United States Justice Department that states approximately 2% of all rape complaints are false." (http://healthresearchfunding.org/8-false-rape-accusation-statistics/)
 
Crosscheck said:
If he was the Wal Mart greeter I really doubt her parents would have let her spend the night with him.

It is all about the money. This may be a chance for her retirement money.
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It's certainly a possibility the other being she's telling the truth, doubt anyone outside of those involved will ever know.
 
Mr. Invisible said:
One is pretty much common knowledge.

"Estimates show that between 50–90% of rapes go unreported" (Rape Myths and Facts | wellwvu | West Virginia University)

Rape Is Grossly Underreported In The U.S., Study Finds

"The most recent research, however, indicates that a majority of rape victims still do not report their attacks to police." (Reporting of Sexual Violence Incidents | National Institute of Justice)
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So... how do you quantify/estimate something which is not reported?

Number two is a bit more difficult. There is no actual official number as it is extremely hard to get down to and they may be headed under the term unfounded report, however that doesn't mean that it was an accusation. The latest stat I heard was from a study in Britain which found that .6% of all rape allegations were false. (Women Don’t Lie About Rape As Often As You Think They Do » Balloon Juice)

Yes, I do understand that it is a different country, culture and what not. However, it still does mean something as studies regarding rape allegations are rarely done. Let's say that the US is 10 times worse, that would only take the number up to 6% or in otherwords 9.4 out of 10 rape allegations would be true.

EDIT: Found some more info. "According to the FBI, between 1.5% and 8% of rape accusations were later found to be false." "With that being said, there are a variety of other resources such as the United States Justice Department that states approximately 2% of all rape complaints are false." (8 Incredible False Rape Accusation Statistics | HRF)
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Alright, so I looked up your 2% number... and found it was based on this:

False rape accusations: Why must we pretend they never happen?

How frequent are false accusations? A commonly cited estimate, which may have originated with feminist author Susan Brownmiller in the 1970s, is that they account for only about 2 percent of rape reports. After the Oberst fiasco, feminist blogger Rebecca Watson posted a video asserting that, statistically, you will be wrong two out of 100 times if you presume a rape accusation to be true and 98 out of 100 times if you presume it to be false.
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Then I found this:

False accusation of rape - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

View attachment 67175952

So we have... a system where studies range from 2% to 90% false reports... but the standards for what constitutes a false rape report aren't there... We have... statistics which can't be quantified in any meaningful manner... and we have people who are sure that these numbers are legit. Are there any other fields of criminology where conclusions are dependent on estimates? I'm just genuinely curious about this.
 
Hatuey said:
So... how do you quantify/estimate something which is not reported?



Alright, so I looked up your 2% number... and found it was based on this:

False rape accusations: Why must we pretend they never happen?



Then I found this:

False accusation of rape - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

View attachment 67175952

So we have... a system where studies range from 2% to 90% false reports... but the standards for what constitutes a false rape report aren't there... We have... statistics which can't be quantified in any meaningful manner... and we have people who are sure that these numbers are legit. Are there any other fields of criminology where such liberal attitudes are given to conclusions on statistics? I'm just genuinely curious about this.
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I can't personally say that the numbers are rock solid, but this is the only information really that we have to base off of it. I do agree with you though, more specificity is needed and what constitutes a false rape allegation is also needed. I do understand where you are coming from.
 
Mr. Invisible said:
I can't personally say that the numbers are rock solid, but this is the only information really that we have to base off of it. I do agree with you though, more specificity is needed and what constitutes a false rape allegation is also needed. I do understand where you are coming from.
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Yep, that's mostly what I thought. I tend to be skeptical on conclusions which are dependent on estimates unless there is pretty solid evidence behind them. For example, we can't really say how many serial killers there are out there right now. However, given the statistics and racial makeup of apprehended serial killers, we can estimate that the majority of those operating in the US are male, predominantly white and they have had previous encounters with the law. However, can we determine whether they like to cut up bodies or molest their dead victims? We can estimate but there is really no degree of certainty.
 
Dragonfly said:
Rape allegations won't go away for Bill Cosby - CNN.com

What are your thoughts on Cosby?

Do you think it's possible that he's guilty of raping women?

Or is he a victim of false allegations?

Now I know there's the whole "innocent until proven guilty" thing - but I'm asking what your gut feel is regarding this stuff.
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Guilty!

CBC ran a special on this yesterday and the evidence is overwhelming.....

But he's America's dad.....
 
Fearandloathing said:
Guilty!

CBC ran a special on this yesterday and the evidence is overwhelming.....

But he's America's dad.....
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Is there a link to the evidence? I'd like to see it.
 
Other - Seems unlikely, but as I have no info one way or another, beyond the word of one person vs another...

No idea.
 
Oh jeez.

So we are supposed to summarily judge innocence or guilt strictly on media/tabloid/gossip sources?

Why even have courts...let's just try by survey/poll?

PASS.
 
Without corroborating evidence, I'm always skeptical of such claims against celebrities, particularly when there have been no arrests and certainly no convictions. Celebrities are targets for several reasons, including the media attention for budding actors and the hope of big money settlements for all. If he's tried and convicted of rape, hope he burns in hell. But just a bunch of finger-pointing without evidence? I remain skeptical. :shrug:
 
ThePlayDrive said:
People do not rape others because they have a hard time getting women. They rape because they desire something other than consensual sex.
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I seriously doubt the rapist would lose interest in ****ing his victim if his victim started wanting to have sex. Its why there are these no means no campaigns.
 
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Cosby has been a strong opponent of the black culture and a strong proponent for blacks getting educated and speaking proper English. He must be destroyed,
 
DiAnna said:
Without corroborating evidence, I'm always skeptical of such claims against celebrities, particularly when there have been no arrests and certainly no convictions. Celebrities are targets for several reasons, including the media attention for budding actors and the hope of big money settlements for all. If he's tried and convicted of rape, hope he burns in hell. But just a bunch of finger-pointing without evidence? I remain skeptical. :shrug:
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And celebrities are in the perfect position to instigate and get away with such things. Bill Cosby is a smart man one that should have been smart enough to protect himself and never leave himself unchaperoned with 17-18 yo girls. So what's more believable? IDK.
 
Winchester said:
And celebrities are in the perfect position to instigate and get away with such things. Bill Cosby is a smart man one that should have been smart enough to protect himself and never leave himself unchaperoned with 17-18 yo girls. So what's more believable? IDK.
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I agree.

I know how much Cosby has been and is loved by so may people "of all races". I know that we all want to believe that Cosby is above such behaviors. But being adorned as he has been for so long doesn't erase over 10 of years of allegations.

In 1997, a woman named Autumn Jackson claimed to be Cosby’s love child. Cosby admitted to a relationship with Jackson’s mother but denied paternity. Jackson was later convicted of extortion.

Such an incident could well have made Cosby feel invincible, in some strange way.

The common history between some of women who have come forward say that Cosby approached them each of them by claiming that he wanted to be a "mentor" to them. Claims by these women over the past 10 years, and the details of their relationship, whispers to me -- something is amuck.

Now obviously what my mind is telling me isn't hardcore evidence. But these continuing allegations have made me subject to consider the preponderance of evidence. A preponderance of evidence has been described as just enough evidence to make it more likely than not that the fact the claimant seeks to prove is true.
 
I don't want to believe these accusations against Cosby. But then again why should I? Let's talk Hollywood shall we? Young starlets wanting to make it big have been known to do what? Sleep their way to the top? Yep. For years they have been more than willing to spread those legs to get a key role in a film or further their career. Yes that is how the liberal left Hollywood has done things forever. These allegations against Crosby started around 2005. By whom? Andrea Constand a starlet that never made it big time but claims she was raped by Cosby. And then followed were other young starlets that claimed the same AFTER they didn't make it to the big time. Can we talk? Those female starlets in the entertainment industry are more than willing to sell or give away any part of themselves if it means they can strike it big. True story. And shock! some of these starving starlets will make themselves up like a piece of candy encouraging someone with clout in the industry to unwrap them. All those who have claimed Cosby has violated them are those who did not make it big. Is this their way of compensating for their failed attempts to be stars? I think that says volumes. Anyway I am not about to condemn the man with no real evidence. At least not what with I have seen.
 
Superfly said:
Do you smell 14? Because that's how many accusations have been lodged against him.
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And how many of these budding starlets making such claims decades later made it to the big time? The answer is none. Could it be they were good looking but had no talent? Do young actresses give it out or offer to give it out if they think it will land them a starring role? The answer is yes. Now that Cosby is an old man and most likely couldn't get it up without the aid of Cialis or Viagra and has made a fortune in the industry, what a better target to collect on by those who couldn't make it successfully on their own regardless what they were willing to do for a role. These accusations have been going on since 2005. These women are well past their prime. Are they now telling us they didn't have a voice to speak out against something as hideous as rape until decades later after they started to lose their looks and couldn't find a damn acting role not even in a commercial for Depends?

Bottom line there is something fishy about this. Is Cosby a saint?, I doubt it. I don't know any saints. Is he guilty of what he is being accused of? I doubt that too.
 
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Superfly said:
Do you smell 14? Because that's how many accusations have been lodged against him.
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That's cool. Yet 14 accusations and no criminal charges.

Either Bill's the smartest and most devious serial rapist in history or it's BS. You'd have me think it's the former? I'd love to see the evidence.
 
vesper said:
And how many of these budding starlets making such claims decades later made it to the big time? The answer is none. Could it be they were good looking but had no talent? Do young actresses give it out or offer to give it out if they think it will land them a starring role? The answer is yes. Now that Cosby is an old man and most likely couldn't get it up without the aid of Cialis or Viagra and has made a fortune in the industry, what a better target to collect on by those who couldn't make it successfully on their own regardless what they were willing to do for a role. These accusations have been going on since 2005. These women are well past their prime. Are they now telling us they didn't have a voice to speak out against something as hideous as rape until decades later after they started to lose their looks and couldn't find a damn acting role not even in a commercial for Depends?

Bottom line there is something fishy about this. Is Cosby a saint?, I doubt it. I don't know any saints. Is he guilty of what he is being accused of? I doubt that too.
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I'm surprised that this attitude is coming from a woman. Personally, as a woman, I tend to err on the side of the woman.

Is this foolproof? Of course not. But I'd rather believe several victims, than a single asshole (yes, he's an asshole) who says, "I didn't do it."

You think OJ was innocent, too?
 
Ockham said:
That's cool. Yet 14 accusations and no criminal charges.

Either Bill's the smartest and most devious serial rapist in history or it's BS. You'd have me think it's the former? I'd love to see the evidence.
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Lots of charges brought against Michael Jackson, too. Nothing stuck, because they all, for the most part, dropped the charges and were paid off.
 
Maybe, and maybe not. He doesn't strike me as being the type. However, then again, I guess you never can tell for sure.

Either way, I'm not laying judgement until there's some hard evidence to suggest that these allegations might actually be true.
 
I hope it's not true but when you start running out of fingers to count on the number of accusers it gets troubling. Crap. One of the good role models for young guys who like him, from a single parent homes in the inner city.
 
Ockham said:
That's cool. Yet 14 accusations and no criminal charges.

Either Bill's the smartest and most devious serial rapist in history or it's BS. You'd have me think it's the former? I'd love to see the evidence.
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Rape is difficult to prosecute except in egregious cases, especially when evidence hasn't been immediately collected.

And why is Cosby being targeted by 14 women? What's the average rape allegation amount for rich/famous people?
 
Amadeus said:
Rape is difficult to prosecute except in egregious cases, especially when evidence hasn't been immediately collected.

And why is Cosby being targeted by 14 women? What's the average rape allegation amount for rich/famous people?
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It's so hard to read your posts, because I constantly have to look at that goofy pic of Rick Scott as your avatar. :lol:
 
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