So last night I was watching the Dateline exclusive interview with Debbie LaFave, she’s the teacher from Florida who was arrested for sleeping with her 14 year old student. Well, sleeping with isn’t totally accurate because, legally she raped the boy. The case is drenched in controversy and I’ll get to my feelings on the case itself shortly but first I wanted to go over my reaction to the interview itself.

I feel pretty confident that I have a bullshit detector that is better then most. If this lady was pulling a fast one, she should run to Hollywood as soon as she is legally able, she’s that good if it was all an act. First, I really don’t see what she would have to gain by telling her side of the story. She can’t write a book about it or make any money, and she isn’t a celebrity doing damage control. Secondly, she didn’t give cop out answers. She even said she feels she should have gone to prison for what she did. She didn’t side step any questions, and to the credit of Matt Lauer, he didn’t shy away from asking tough questions.

I’m fairly certain she didn’t have any kind of handlers, maybe other then a lawyer but, no one with and kid of public relations back ground. There was a time or two that she actually said she felt victimized and at one point assaulted by this 14 year old and that some of his statements weren’t truthful. Now I don’t work in PR but, I’m pretty sure rule #1 in dealing with a rape case in which you admit your guilt includes don’t call the victim a liar and don’t play the victim. Not in the same interview in which you’re saying you should go to prison. And I believe her, this 14 year old was supposedly like six feet tall, wouldn’t surprise me at all if he was stronger then her. Not that it gets her off the hook, even if he did something inappropriate. She was the adult and should have been in control of the situation, a fact she also admits.

After her arrest, she was diagnosed as being bi-polar, and this is probably what kept her from going to prison. Which I think, could be a scary precedent. If I were a gambling man, and I said if, I’d bet most men guilty of statutory rape probably have some sort of mental illness. And as much as I believe she was a victim in some way, and her own rape that she survived had a direct link to her actions, she’s still responsible for her actions. As are all the men NBC likes to show us on their “To Catch A Predator” shows. Most of them were probably victimized as kids, and we watch that show and think they are these awful monsters.

Truth be told, they are monsters and as much as I want them locked up, I always end up feeling badly for these guys. They are sick, sick human beings who are unable to control their urges. They need SERIOUS help. But really, if Debbie LaVave was Derrick LaVave and Derrick were a good looking 23 year old male teacher who had what seemed to be a consensual affair with a 14 year old female student, we’d want him castrated and raped with his own detached penis. I know if it were a niece of mine, I’d want to hold the rusty dull knife and do the honors. Yet, with this case we have a beautiful female who committed the crime and every guy wishes he was the 14 year old. Without a doubt it’s another double standard between the sexes. And if it were a nephew of mine, I really don’t know how I’d react. I’d probably be upset that he was active at such a young age but, I doubt I’d feel the same rage.
Tell ya what though, I call BS on NBC. Last night they first aired an episode of “To Catch A Predator” and followed that up with the interview. They didn’t call it “Interview With A Predator” no, it was “Crossing The Line.” On one show, they basically entrap guys who are looking to do something very bad and then humiliate them before seeing them off to jail. The next show, they help apply make up, check the lighting and let the pretty girl read her poetry and show modeling pictures from when she was a teenager. They couldn’t reinforce this double standard any more even if they tried. But as Debbie said, “sex sells.” And NBC has to get their ratings.