Reaction to news article: John Smallwood | Yes, Rutgers players were hurt, but Duke lacrosse trio nearly destroyed

By: Nicole Howard

One of my friends on the popular site facebook.com shared a link to this article and I was immediately upset at how the article compared the indecent remarks Don Imus made to what the Duke lacrosse students went through. First of all there is NO reason for them to be compared. They are two completely different stories. Why should one have to be compared as worse than the other?

This is what I am referring to:

"Radio personality Don Imus is rightfully being blasted for his despicable on-air comment of calling the Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos." As personally damaging as that was to the Rutgers players and their families, it is a tempest in a teapot compared to what happened to the Duke players." (http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/colleges/20070412_John_Smallwood___Yes__Rutgers_players_were_hurt__but_Duke_lacrosse_trio_nearly_destroyed.html)

How can someone say something is personally damaging when they are not that person and do not know the effect the remarks had on the students personally. To go even further and call it a "tempest in a teapot" is an insult in itself.

Yes what happened to the Duke players is horrible so why not give them there own story and not but two different things together because they both have something to do with race.

I do not wish to belittle the entire article because it does address the issue of race in the Duke student's case and how both sides could used race and could have disregarded the issue at hand the actual truth of what happened.

Another good point was that society has a way of making issues black and white instead of looking at the issue on its own without race behind it. Also that until this country especially can do this then there will continue to be incidents such as this.

The article clearly spoke about the issue of race but if the comparison of the racist comments were not included in the article it would have been a lot better. I just believe adding that part was not necessary and a stretch to compare them.