Don't Stop Talking About Sexual Violence, But Have Some Respect

It seems everyone has something to say about the horrifying alleged Chi Phi gang rape case from 2024. Celebrities like Florence Pugh, Rachel Zegler and Josh Gad have spoken up, posting their own opinions and reposting infographics that detail the case. It's impossible to open Instagram or TikTok and not scroll through an avalanche of opinion after opinion on the case. Major media outlets are flooding our campus, filming students walking to class and stopping to interview them to get reactions about the incident and the administration's response. Let me be clear: Public outrage is correct and should be the prevailing reaction to any kind of sexual violence. However, when it begins to take on a life of its own — such as it has for this case, whose alleged perpetrators are now dubbed "the Cornell 7" — is it productive? And, more importantly, is it respectful to victims of sexual violence?