Bit Heavier Topic

Today, I read an article about a teacher having a sexual relationship with a student.  I've included the link. http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/04/13662214-erica-depalo-former-teacher-of-the-year-accused-of-having-sex-with-15-year-old-student?threadId=3557398&commentId=69667505#c69667505

Before I tell you the details or you read the article, I just want to discuss some of the attitudes of the comments following the article.  There seem to be a couple prevailing attitudes.  First, that sex is just sex, everyone should stop being Puritans.  Second, good for the student/what's the issue here, who cares who the student/teacher has sex with?  And third, that teacher should be killed.

Here are the details and this is where it becomes really problematic:  the teacher is 33 and a female.  The student is 15 and a male.  The teacher had taught the student previously, but the "sexual relationship" occurred over the summer.  Sexual relationship is from the article, not my own words.  This happened in New Jersey and the teacher was previously awarded a "Teacher of the Year" award.

Here are my issues with the article and the comments.  First, if the teacher were male and the student were female, the first two attitudes would not be present, or even if both were males.  The only prevailing attitude would be calls for this teacher's head and maybe a few comments about how the student asked for it.  However, because the student is male, most other males commenting on the site seem to think that this is a good situation for the child.  Additionally, the article referred to this as a "sexual relationship."  It is not.  It is a situation where a young man was repeatedly raped by an authority figure.  Jerry Sandusky, anyone?  In New Jersey, the age of consent is 16, which means that this boy could not consent to any sexual relationship, let alone one in which he holds none of the power.

What is wrong with our society that this rape is seen as anything other than rape?