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Washington Post's 'second look at statutory rape' click-trolling inspires #WaPoPitches

If this headline in the Washington Post — “Sex between students and teachers should not be a crime” — doesn’t set off alarm bells, this should: it only takes one paragraph for the writer to suggest “our society needs to have an uncensored dialogue” on the subject, and two paragraphs to decry the absence of that “much-needed dialogue.” If only we’d talk more about the “extremely nuanced continuum of sexual interactions involving teachers and students,” perhaps we’d develop a healthier, less hysterical response to statutory rape.

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Good question. Is the Washington Post getting into Slate’s business of click-trolling, or do the paper’s editors really think it’s time for a national conversation on sex between teachers and underage students? Writer Betsy Karasik isn’t a staffer, which the Post will probably have to make clear as more and more people read her conclusion that teachers shouldn’t be held to a higher moral or legal standard than those naughty priests and politicians. “If religious leaders and heads of state can’t keep their pants on, with all they have to lose,” she writes, “why does society expect that members of other professions can be coerced into meeting this standard?”

https://twitter.com/rae_lexa527/status/373646987716870146

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https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/373644496728514560

Good point. What’s next from Jeff Bezos’ new toy? Maybe one of these #WaPoPitches will see the light of day soon and kick start another important dialogue.

https://twitter.com/JungaSklee/status/373630909544534016

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https://twitter.com/JayCaruso/status/373634458337161217

https://twitter.com/jrsalzman/status/373635037888917504

So, how is everyone enjoying our new national conversation?

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https://twitter.com/JamesHXN/status/373651793374244864

That bad, huh? Well, this editorial should convince you the Post is still on the fence about statutory rape.