The Annie Le Murder Defies Preconceptions

If the police are right, and Ray Clark killed Annie Le over a power struggle in their shared lab, then that means that the narrative that the media initially plugged this story into doesn't quite fit the circumstances. A pretty, petite woman about to be married who disappears? We're all conditioned to think of sex crimes, instead of workplace violence. If you've ever been the victim of a violent crime, or supported someone who has, there's a bit of comfort to be had in the belief that it could have happened to anyone. Let's hope Le's friends and family are taking comfort in that now.

That said, it's not completely accurate to assume that because this act of violence began as a power struggle at work doesn't mean that gender doesn't play a role in it. According to statistics kept by the Department of Labor (that are sadly out of date), women are more likely to suffer injuries from workplace violence than men. Violence is the second leading cause of death for women at work, after auto accidents. Perhaps with all the attention that Le's death is getting from the mainstream media, workplace violence against women will start to rate attention in the same way sexual assault and domestic violence do.

The one kink in all this is that before the police released the power struggle theory, the standard sexualized narrative about violence against women had set in, which caused some digging that resulted in reasons to believe that suspect Ray Clark may have a history of the more famous kind of violence against women. Gawker collected stories about Clark's high school girlfriend reporting him to the police because she was afraid to break up with him, and excerpts from his girlfriend's MySpace blog that indicates that their relationship is probably stormy and potentially violent. None of this is especially surprising. Our society continues to inculcate violence as a masculine trait, and men who live up to that rarely keep their violent tendencies bucketed in one part of their lives. It's all too easy to see how a man who reacted with violence when he saw defiance from romantic partners would have a similar reaction when defied by a woman he merely had a working relationship with.

Tags: annie le, domestic violence, ray clark, workplace violence

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Amanda Marcotte Amanda recently moved from her home state of Texas to Brooklyn, NY. She blogs at pandagon.net and rhrealitycheck.org.

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Dr.C: Ironically, your post

By: zabugle | Fri, 09/18/2009 - 14:40

Dr.C: Ironically, your post elicits in me the very reaction you are trying to explain. I also work with mice, but I am a lab technician with a college degree. While there certainly are technicians, with out college degrees, that wash dishes and clean animal cages, the majority of people in these positions where I work have bachelors or masters degrees and plan and perform experiments. Some of them are far more skilled at lab work than the graduate students and post docs that work beside them. Those that do not move on to grad school, usually do so out of choice, not inability. I have found this to be true in other places where I have worked as well. I don't expect this adds anything to the understanding of Le's murder, but it certainly an additional piece of the "class warfare" that exists in academic laboratories

I'm a postdoctoral fellow and

By: dr.c | Fri, 09/18/2009 - 11:07

I'm a postdoctoral fellow and work with mice, iI assume much like le did. As most people have no clue how labs are run I'd like to share. Laboratories have a very interesting dynamic, they are filled with extremely well acomplished and intelligent people who have or are in the process of obtaining their Phd, DSc, etc., as well as other people who are completely necessary for the lab to run smoothly, but do the so-called grunt work that a PhD doesn't do. These people include dishwashers, animal tecnhicians, secretaries, lab technicians and do not get the credit they deserve (without them labs could not produce results to the levels they do today). Sometimes these technicians have college levels experience, but most of the time do not. Most PhDs are very appreciative of the work that these assistants do, as it clears up time for them to actually perfrom their experiments and plan and think and read. However, I feel that a lot of technicians are resentful toward young, 20-something graduate students and postdocs because of a few bad apples they've had run-ins with. They see these PhDers come for 5 years or so, do some experiments with mice (based on the blood samples, etc. collected but the technicians)and then move on to bigger and better jobs, while the technician is cleaning out the same mouse cages day in and out, and taking crap from the grouchy student who's experiment isn't working. I've always tried my very best to be extra kind to these people who, in my opinion, have a super crapy job, but even I can remember as a young graduate student - high on the fact that I was going to get a PhD and therefore somehow entitled - getting testy with the animal tech who I thought wasn't handeling the animals as I wanted them.

I'm not saying that Le instigated anything, but I think that this case speaks more to class warfare not work-related violence, or gender violence. The guy cleaning up the mouse crap was probably sick of taking crap and just lost it.

Stats

By: Bo | Fri, 09/18/2009 - 09:59

"Homicide is the second-leading cause of fatal occupational injuries for women, after traffic accidents."

So only women who work outside the home drive? Or is this number related to women who drive for a living? Considering Macotte's tendency to play fast and loose with facts, I'm not convinced that work is so dangerous for women.

And Gawker's now a source--were any of those stories verified? Or is gossip now fact?

1. Violence committed by clients or patients

This category includes customers, clients, patients, students and inmates. These incidents occur largely in the health care industry, such as nursing homes or psychiatric facilities, where the victims are often patient caregivers. Police officers, prison staff, flight attendants and teachers also are examples of workers who may be exposed to this type of violence.

2. Violence associated with robbery or other crimes

The perpetrator has no legitimate relationship to the business or its employees. Convenience store clerks, taxi drivers, security guards and “mom and pop” store employees are exposed to this type of violence.

3. Violence among co-workers or managers

The perpetrator is an employee or former employee of the business who attacks or threatens another employee in the workplace. Although this type of violence accounts for about 7 percent of all workplace homicides, these incidents receive intense media coverage.

4. Domestic violence that spills over into the workplace

The perpetrator usually does not have a relationship with the business but has a personal relationship with the intended victim. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that husbands and boyfriends commit 13,000 acts of violence against women in the workplace every year.

preconceptions

By: boredwell | Fri, 09/18/2009 - 07:24

Ray Clark's HS friends, including one interviewed last night on Larry King, have stated that their baseball buddy was a quiet but sociable person. He raised money for single moms and cancer survivors, doled out food to the homeless and was a member of the school's Asia Culture club. The forensic evidence tells another story: a very different person lurked beneath Ray Clark's mild persona.

It might be worthwhile to see

By: chris40 | Fri, 09/18/2009 - 00:19

It might be worthwhile to see if he's actually guilty before we start analyzing his motives.