Wednesday, September 15, 2010



There's a shorter word for that

Today's Orwellian abuse of language: this story in the Sydney Morning Herald, about a league star in court for sexual assault:

The 25-year-old denies a charge that he had sexual intercourse without the consent of the teen, who cannot be named for legal reasons. He also pleaded not guilty to two counts of assaulting her with an act of indecency.
There's a name for the act of having sex with someone without their consent. That word is rape. And I'd expect the media to have the decency to call the crime by its name, rather than engaging in tortured circumlocutions. But I guess the rules are different if you're a sports star...