[Amore]

I think some people here misinterpret comments about kids being out so late as "blaming the victim." I don't see that that is what is going on. Of course that vile animal is to blame! But I thought one of the few things most of here on FR could agree about is that there are an awful lot of people who are not properly parenting their children.

I think some people here take things too personally, as a reflection on themselves as parents. For instance, someone else here said their daughters broke curfew lots of times, but -- significantly -- she went on to say that they got punished! That parent is working to teach her daughters right from wrong.

In this case, it seems to me that they shouldn't have been out there at that isolated lovers-lane spot so late at night, summer or not. That's JMHO. Now, whether they were there because they snuck out or whether they were there because they had lax parents, we don't yet know. But in today's world, it's quite possible it is the latter. Being a parent is an awesome responsibility and duty, and many parents are in fact awful parents.

One commentator last night said (before news that they were raped came out), "If they were my daughters, I would hug them, tell them how much I love them, and then tell them they were grounded for the rest of the summer!"

I think he had the right attitude.

[pettifogger]

I think some people here misinterpret comments about kids being out so late as "blaming the victim."

At the risk of a little pop-psych thinking, I strongly suspect that the "blame the parents" crowd, on this and similar threads, make their comments as a way of assuring themselves that THEIR kids (grandkids, nieces, nephews, whatever) would never find themselves in this situation. It's in large part a defensive reaction to horrific news -- a way to reassure yourself that you and yours are not in danger.