To wonder if people have forgotten that Mike Tyson is a rapist? (Trigger warning)

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He is everywhere at the moment. Memes, Facebook, videos, the press.

Even my DH tries to tell me about something he's doing or something he has read. Look at how fast he hits! Isn't he a good boxer! I've made it clear I'm not interested in anything sex offenders are doing.

I've read about his crime and he's a misogynistic predator, no two ways about it.

Have people forgotten or do they just not care? Why aren't the media getting a bollocking for glorifying such a person?

Lots of rapists play the game and win back public approval by donating to charity or whatever. Public are easily duped. See above.

I've seen a bit of him recently saw a clip of him practicing punches. First thing I thought was there's that vile fucking rapist, secondly I thought wife beater. Forgot about him biting Evander Holyfields ear off. He's an animal and not someone who should be allowed in a position to influence anybody he should be on a leash. People look up to sports stars when in my opinion rapists should be looked down on for the scum they are. Rape is a horrific crime that victims carry for the rest of their lives. Why should he get a second chance?
Plenty of men grow up in horrible circumstances and don't rape or beat women. As a woman I think his crimes are unforgivable. I would hope men would agree

Is that to myself Nurse

yes I do believe people can change and there are reasons why people are the way they are. I work within this area I see changes and I see that it is a real challenge for many and I see some who don’t (few sex offenders and those with violent attitudes towards women but some do and supporting them to change is surely better than nothing at all so the cycle carries on)

That does not excuse their actions or allow them to serve lesser time for their crime/s or take responsibility away from themselves.

But maybe you yourself know better from your experiences

EnthusiasmIsDisturbed, do you think that time in prison can change sex offenders?
In my professional life I've seen no evidence of that, and I doubt very much that a man like Tyson had a tough time in jail at all.

I believe people can change of course. But rapists or paedophiles no I don’t. They are the hardest if not most impossible people to be able to rehabilitate due to their arrogance, sense of entitlement over other people and manipulation skills. I would never trust any of them again no matter how they present themselves to the world.

And just to add I think some things are unforgivable. Rape being one of them.

I agree OP.

I saw a BBC headline the other day: ‘Mike Tyson: Eddie Hearn says potential return poses moral dilemma for promoters’

Oh I thought, good that they are recognising his issues.

No.. the moral dilemma was letting a 53 year old back in the ring. Nothing about the moral dilemma being about letting a rapist and abuser back.

Curious from the woke BBC.

We don't prevent criminals convicted of other offences from earning and paying taxes.

Once they have served their time and paid any fines / compensation. And, at the least, admit their crime.

Tyson has not paid the victim, he has had ample time and money to do so.

As far as I am concerned he is not reabilitated and as such he is a danger and should not be alowed into the UK.

Is the Me too movement still going? He would be a good candidate to be cancelled

Me Too is dead in America because of Joe Biden. So yah, if we like the guy it doesn’t matter ...

Can I ask a question please -

Does anyone believe that someone 'famous' who has been tried and convicted of that crime, can ever lead a public life again?

I only ask because I wondered what people here expected to happen to Tyson after he was released from jail in the 90s.

Perhaps he should have had his boxing licence taken away permanently as a greater punishment. That would have dampened his fame, taken away his power and influence. He could then have descended into total self destruction, burned the rest of his money much faster than he did in the end, and gone back to crime.

Not that I'm asking for any sympathy here for the man! I'm just describing a pathway.

That's not what happened, though. He served the time for his conviction. He then came back out on a path of even greater hell, and then after his career finished, he found out where he needed to be emotionally and worked on improving himself.

America is notorious for loving a public forgiveness fest. You can almost do anything over there, but if you show contrition, humility and sense of humour, then the public could love you again.

And boy has Tyson shown contrition. I know few people care on here but if you're happy to see past the end of the pitchfork for a second, the man has done a complete 360. He grew up in a harsh reality in Brownsville New York, a bear pit of violence and killing, and saw unimaginable things guided by father figures who were anything but. He now recognises he did all the wrong things, and very publicly says so.

I only make this point because I believe public figures like Tyson help the overall cause. Can young people who are growing up in his environment with that violence around them , see this reformed man and think of another way?

Or should we leave every person who does this, to languish in darkness, thereby leaving thousands of other men to carry on blind regardless? Male role models are a real thing, and I'd wager that 90% of those who commit such mayhem don't have the right ones or any ones. Yes it would be great if everyone wanted to be Stephen Hawking, or Stephen Fry, or even Stephen Mangam, but kids from the environment wanted to be Tyson. That's how it is.

In short? The man was convicted of an atrocious crime. Must he be punished in perpetuity for the rest of his life?

He has shown remorse and regret for the way he treated some of his opponents but he has never shown remorse or regret for the raping Desiree Washington or for the campaign of domestic abuse carried out against his ex-wife.

He should not be allowed to work in a position of privilege and power where he is able to influence young people and where he would potentially have opportunity to commit further crimes of a similar nature when he shows no remorse for his previous crimes. We prevent criminals with convictions for sexual and violent crimes from working in specific job roles where they might come into contact with vulnerable people or where their conviction would bring their trustworthiness into question, it should be no different for job roles that are in the public eye.

@KKslider

While I appreciate the general sentiment of not having people in certain positions, I think there's a bit of deliberate naivety here. its not as if Tyson needs a CRB check to do his one man show or to make signing appearances. Everyone knows what he was convinced of and what he did to Holyfield.

It's worth stating at this point that Tyson is adamant he didn't assault her. That's not my view, but that is his defence and he maintains it. Are you suggesting that if he doesn't admit to it or show contrition, then he should not be allowed in public society until he does?

Also, from this interview in 2013:

"“My past doesn’t control my life and the way I live today. I just don’t know why people continue to take to me and make me relevant in life. I don’t feel as relevant as people make me.”

Mike Tyson's brutal.
Can't believe Naomi Campbell (and the rest) went out with him.

He can say he didn't assault her as much as he likes however the evidence, and the court, said he did rape her. And it was not assault, it was rape. Mike Tyson is a rapist.

If your ordinary man in the street was known to be a convicted rapist he would be barred from working in most professions that place him in a position of trust or that put him in a position of power and influence over others, he would be barred from working with children, barred from roles that involve home visits, and barred from working with or potentially coming into contact with vulnerable people.

Those same restrictions should apply to all convicted rapists, they shouldn't be relaxed just because that man is a celebrity and good at his job or because he had a shit childhood. His celebrity status gives him power over others, the opportunity to commit further crimes and to cover them up using his influence, and all the entitlement that goes alongside. It sends a message to young men that it doesn't matter what they do, it doesn't matter if they rape someone or they repeatedly beat their wife, they can still return to their previous life and all will be forgiven. There should be no celebrity for such men, no return to fame, and no enabling of such. Tyson's boxing license absolutely should have been taken away to send the clear message, to him and others, that rape is not acceptable.

This all goes back to the original OP of why do people turn a blind eye to rape when the rapist is a celebrity? And what it boils down to is that men who are good at their jobs are consider to be worth more than the women they harm.

He can improve himself all he likes he is still a rapist, Desiree Washington will always live with being a victim of rape, his ex wife will always live with being the victim of his assaults. They won't forget and neither should we. The man is a monster

This all goes back to the original OP of why do people turn a blind eye to rape when the rapist is a celebrity? And what it boils down to is that men who are good at their jobs are consider to be worth more than the women they harm.

Absolutely.

Also as pointed out he hasn't served his time and paid the price because he still hasn't paid his victim.

Even if he had paid her the compensation she rightly deserved, that still wouldn't make him rehabilitated and no longer a danger.

He was noted as saying "i should have killed the bitch" or words to that effect when the trial was on going. He doesn't have one iota of remorse.

In regards to biting Evanders ear off, he doesn't give a toss about that either as I read an article where he was laughing and saying he made back the 3m dollars he had to pay out for doing it - by taking photographs with fans.

Gindaddy..... well it wasn’t exactly lack of money or a job that led him to his crime was it? He is no more likely to rape when he is rich and famous than if he is not.

I don’t think that people who commit rape should be given public platforms where the message is put out that it’s ok to rape... as a couple of years later everyone’s forgotten about it and you are once again adored by fans and your life goes back to normal.

Rapists ruin lives. Why should theirs go back to all their normal priveliges once they have done their paltry time?

I remember going to meet my dh at the wine bar and being bought a drink by a friend who casually said to me that surely the girl expected to have sex with Tyson. I remember replying that she certainly wouldn't have expected to be assaulted in the way she was - won't repeat the graphic detail - another friend started saying come on she was asking for it. His wife went crazy at him and it was their first night out since their baby had been born ending before it began.

The other man looked at me and said, oh I was just trying to wind you up not get other people involved, where did you get those details? I said Sky. Oh God he replied, I thought she was just trying to get compensation from him. I said part of the problem was that the limited information in the British Press failed to inform the public of the reality of rape and sexual assault.

Must he be punished in perpetuity for the rest of his life?

Yes.

If he believes he did nothing wrong then he is a danger and should not be in public life.

@sashh

Does that mean that any person accused of rape and convicted, has 100% done it, and therefore is no longer worthy of being in society?

I'm just curious - is the US justice system that brilliant that it forensically identifies who is and who isn't?

Celebrity rapist Mike Tyson was found guilty in court by a jury based on the evidence presented.

Attitudes like this:

does that mean that any person accused of rape and convicted, has 100% done it

are why so few women report it when they are raped or sexually assaulted and why rape convictions are shockingly low.

The question here is not about the US justice system. The question is why are men convicted of rape allowed to continue their former lives more or less unimpeded simply because they are considered good at their job? How can the message be impressed up on men that rape is wrong at the same time as people (predominantly men) are holding up convicted rapists as role models? Saying that the crime is separate from the person, the rapist and the wife beater is separate from the sportsman, excuses those crimes.

@GinDaddyRedux with rates of conviction less than 6 percent and men getting not guilty verdicts even when found chasing a naked bleeding woman, dragging her back to a motel room while she screams he's raped her, yes