Teacher Sex Scandal

By now you've probably heard about the arrest of Kari Atkinson, the Sandcreek Middle School P.E. teacher who now faces five lewd conduct charges. She's accused of having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy.

I've been watching the scores of comments roll in at Local News 8's website, and I'll save you the time and trouble of reading them.

On one side, the viable argument is made that the arrest and multiple charges wouldn't have happened without some pretty good evidence.

On the other side, many of her students and colleagues -- those closest to her -- are commenting that she would never do this and isn't capable.

And of course there are a few idiots making this into a religious issue. Their comments reveal nothing, except their sad obsession.

We all would like to know what really happened, but until we know more, it's just speculation. Two families, and two circles of friends, are in shock right now, so let's just hold off on the declarations. Just pray for both families.

In the meantime, let's talk about the double standard. I'll be the first to plead guilty to this. My reaction when I see an attractive woman accused of this is far different than seeing a man accused of the same crime.

It's wired in men to be protective of women, especially pretty ones. My reaction isn't so much a conclusion about her guilt, but a sense of compassion if she is guilty. I can't explain what deep hidden instinctual forces lead me to feel like this is less perverse than a 28 year old man preying on a 14 year old girl. I'm far more willing to reserve judgement on Kari Atkinson than in other cases where I've been ready to convict a similarly-charged male suspect.

A study on prison sentence length for child sex offenders based on gender would be interesting. I'm willing to bet women have lighter sentences than men.

Please don't misconstrue my thoughts as dismissive. If she had a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy, she must be punished without consideration of her gender. But recognizing this is a process of reason, rather than instinct.

Maybe I'm the weird one. I'm sure you'll all let me know if I am...