Raynine
Diamond Member
- Oct 28, 2023
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I’ve been following the case of Christina Formella, the twenty-two-year-old Chicago teacher accused of having sex with a 14-year-old male student. It is certainly wrong for a person in authority to groom an underage subordinate for sex. Everyone can agree on that. But what is really going on here? When did voyeurism and sensationalism for headlines become the driving factor in modern news reporting? Twenty-two is pretty young. This is not to say that she is innocent or should be given a pass, but stacking up fifty charges and throwing away the key to her freedom seems a little overboard for what allegedly occurred.
News reporting agencies are thanking the victim for showing “bravery” in the attacks. This seems a little laughable. It is far more likely that the victim’s mother discovered what was going on and dragged the boy into the legal system for a possible later lawsuit against the deep pockets of the state and possibly the girl's inlaw family. Where does that leave Christina, who obviously has a problem? Her family seems to be standing by her, and I hope they continue to do so. Plastering Christina’s face in videos all over the airwaves is certainly not a way of handling this quietly and that triggers a memory in this Baby Boomer.
In 1957 I was ten years old. My parents were under 40 and they would sometimes hire babysitters to watch me and my siblings. They always used the same 16-year-old girl who lived a few streets over. I still remember her name though it will not be used here. Her parents did not allow her to go on dates. I know this because she told me. It had something to do with religion or something.
My siblings were younger than me and I would often stay up and talk to the girl. She was using me to vent her frustrations with her parents. Then it went to a place I did not expect. She wasn’t doing anything to me, but she was instructing me to do things for her. Things like French kissing, breast caressing and even some south of the border stuff though actual sex never occurred. I found the experience to be exotic and interesting though I do not recall being aroused, I was ten.
I made the mistake of mentioning it to one of my siblings and my mother got wind of it. That was the end of that babysitter. But the whole thing was kept very quiet, and I was told never to talk about it. It was kept quiet to protect the girl as much as me. Can you imagine what would have happened to that girl’s reputation if word got out? I did hear that she was forced to go to church and confess her sins to a priest, and it was suggested that I do the same but that was the extent of it. My priest never heard a word from me by the way. I don’t recall being damaged by the encounters in fact some of what I learned came in handy later after I reached puberty. It was like a head start program.
I do not condone what Christina did, but what they are doing to her leaves a sour taste in my mouth. You can call me old fashioned and chauvinistic but I believe women should be protected because I know how people are.
News reporting agencies are thanking the victim for showing “bravery” in the attacks. This seems a little laughable. It is far more likely that the victim’s mother discovered what was going on and dragged the boy into the legal system for a possible later lawsuit against the deep pockets of the state and possibly the girl's inlaw family. Where does that leave Christina, who obviously has a problem? Her family seems to be standing by her, and I hope they continue to do so. Plastering Christina’s face in videos all over the airwaves is certainly not a way of handling this quietly and that triggers a memory in this Baby Boomer.
In 1957 I was ten years old. My parents were under 40 and they would sometimes hire babysitters to watch me and my siblings. They always used the same 16-year-old girl who lived a few streets over. I still remember her name though it will not be used here. Her parents did not allow her to go on dates. I know this because she told me. It had something to do with religion or something.
My siblings were younger than me and I would often stay up and talk to the girl. She was using me to vent her frustrations with her parents. Then it went to a place I did not expect. She wasn’t doing anything to me, but she was instructing me to do things for her. Things like French kissing, breast caressing and even some south of the border stuff though actual sex never occurred. I found the experience to be exotic and interesting though I do not recall being aroused, I was ten.
I made the mistake of mentioning it to one of my siblings and my mother got wind of it. That was the end of that babysitter. But the whole thing was kept very quiet, and I was told never to talk about it. It was kept quiet to protect the girl as much as me. Can you imagine what would have happened to that girl’s reputation if word got out? I did hear that she was forced to go to church and confess her sins to a priest, and it was suggested that I do the same but that was the extent of it. My priest never heard a word from me by the way. I don’t recall being damaged by the encounters in fact some of what I learned came in handy later after I reached puberty. It was like a head start program.
I do not condone what Christina did, but what they are doing to her leaves a sour taste in my mouth. You can call me old fashioned and chauvinistic but I believe women should be protected because I know how people are.
