Would You Let Them Channing On Your Tatum?
'The Voice' Crowns Its Winner
Bethany Storro gained the sympathy of the world, when she alleged that she was the victim of a random attack where someone threw acid on her face. The story she was going to tell Oprah was that a black woman with a pony tail walked up to her and said, "Hey, pretty girl, want something to drink?" and then proceeded to throw the acid.
Oprah would have hugged her on the air, and the show would have made us cry. We would have heard stories about how the woman had been courageous enough to fight on, in spite of this horrible thing that happened to her. The episode would have been glorious, moving, fascinating, and inspirational.
It would have also been a big old butt-naked lie.
Vancouver police just confirmed that Storro has admitted to making it all up. Police don't know why she did it, but they are confirming that she did. Apparently, Oprah had her suspicions long ago, which is why her producers started asking questions. When Storro got wind that they might be on to her, she abruptly canceled her appearance.
We know that Oprah doesn't like to be played like a fool. When it turned out that the author James Frey fabricated important sections of his book, "A Million Little Pieces," Oprah gave him the thrill of being invited back on to the show just so she could embarrass the hell out of him. Apparently, Storro didn't want to be embarrassed as well, which is why she made the correct decision to back out.
Storro's story started falling apart during the police investigation. Police were seeking a black woman with a pony tail, whom they believed to be responsible for the August 30th attack. Funds were created to send money to Storro to help her through her difficult time. Police are now working to find ways to give the money back.
Of course, Storro is going to be prosecuted for her behavior, that's a given. I am sure that police were close to having a suspect in custody, since international attention to a crime pushes police action. We should all be appalled by the possibility that some woman's life may have been ruined because someone chose to make up something like this.
There is the broader and interesting notion that whenever someone is a victim of a fabricated crime, they usually say that a black person did it. This reminds us that African Americans are perceived as being less ethical and more criminal than other Americans. We must, however, give police credit for taking the time to investigate inconsistencies to ensure that an innocent person is not charged.
The last point - and you might get mad at me for saying this - is that I actually feel sorry for Bethany Storro. Racism to the side, the truth is that this woman's decision to burn her own face in order to seek attention is simply mind-numbing. She clearly has a mental illness, and this should be taken in to account when she is prosecuted. The pain she inflicted on to her own face was daunting, but I'm sure it can't match the pain which exists within her own psyche. She really needs serious help.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
Comments: (98)
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By: Dawn on 9/16/2010 10:14PM
I admit, this lady is SICK!!! However, if she hadn't said the alledged attacker was, black. YOU wouldn't even care about this story.
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By: mslalagirl on 9/16/2010 10:41PM
I felt sorry for this lady when I first heard the story,so do not talk about no one would care if she didnt mentioned the race of the alledge assailant. I am so sick of so many people blaming so much BS on black people. They tried to create an image of the black community is the worst of all, but on the contrary they make a mockery of themselves.
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By: The Truth on 9/16/2010 11:56PM
It's hard to comment negatively, the woman appears mentally challenged.
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By: ARNEADER on 9/17/2010 12:14AM
She's sane, maybe she did not like the way she looked and could not afford plastic surgery. Don't prosecute her, let her go. She's not going to hurt anyone but herself.
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By: vdog on 9/17/2010 12:09AM
Why do CRAZY WHITE FOLKS always blame BLACK FOLKS when they do their DIRT? Remember the chick in Carolina that KILLED HER KIDS and said A BLACK MAN abducted them? Leave people ALONE because YOUR LIES are all being figured out.
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By: Justifyed on 9/17/2010 1:56AM
Munchausen Syndrome, plain and simple.
Remember Susan Smith? She blamed a black man for holding her at gun point, taking her car w/ the kids in the car and driving away.
So, Dawn it probably wouldn't have gotten the press that it did, but it did and I think it was more because of the fact that SHE LIED, more so than her saying that her attacker was black, but if that helps you sleep at night... good for you.
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By: Jamall Robinson on 9/17/2010 3:47AM
That white girl do look kinda slow in the brain if you ask me.
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By: Wyllyemozelle on 9/17/2010 8:41AM
Dawn, do you think that is the reason she said a black person did this to her so that she could become a news story? Seeking attention? The woman has some serious problems. She burned her own face just to get some attention, and had she not said a black person did this to her she would not have gotten any attention.
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By: Eugene on 9/17/2010 11:49AM
Throw this this woman over Niagra Falls. No barrel needed.
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By: Greg D. on 9/19/2010 12:10AM
Dawn,
Your comments are unfair. I for one (a black man) was disgusted and felt sorry for this woman when I heard the first story. But, you're deliberately ignoring the broader point being made. Our history is littered with recanted stories of blacks committing crimes against whites.
Even go back to the countless times of white women crying rape when other whites catch her having sex with a black man. Whole communities were burned to the ground with many innocent black men, women and children lynched by mobs of angry whites. Often, the mobs were assisted by the police.
I remember the guy in Boston that killed his wife and blamed it on a mysterious black assailant. The police kicked in a lot of doors and rousted scores of young black men on that one too. I can't go through all the times this kind of thing has happened Dawn. But, you need to understand black people don't just make up their sensitivities about these things. These sensitivities come from some place very real.
Even though your own mis-education doesn't give you any insight into WHY we feel the way we do about these things. I believe statistics show blacks do commit crimes at a disproportionate rate. That may contribute to the easy claim of "a black person did it". I guess that makes it more believable. Problem is: The proverbial white fear of a black criminal has always been unreasonable. Statistics consistently indicate the vast majority of crimes committed by blacks are committed against other blacks. Conversely, whites commit crimes against whites. So, white people need to start blaming their own to make it believable.
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