se·man·tics [si-man-tiks]There's been a man going around a very wealthy part of DC called Georgetown assaulting women. While most people would come right out and call this guy what he is, a creeper and possible rapist, The Washington Examiner, NBC4, and others in local media attribute him the disturbingly cutesy moniker of "The Georgetown Snuggler" or "The Georgetown Cuddler."
--noun (used with a singular verb)
1. Linguisticsa. the study of meaning.b. the study of linguistic development by classifying and examining changes in meaning and form.2. Also called significs. The branch of semiotics dealing with the relations between signs and what they denote.
3. The meaning, or an interpretation of the meaning, of a word, sign, sentence, etc.: Let's not argue about semantics.
4. General semantics.
Georgetown student reports sex assault in dormA Georgetown University student reported she was sexually assaulted in her on-campus dorm Friday night, according to Metro police.
The student told police she walked to the dorm basement around 6 p.m., when a man she did not know began following her. The man called, "Hey girl," and pushed her against a wall, putting one hand over her mouth and the other up her shirt, according to the report.
A string of sexual assaults have been reported in the Georgetown area over the past couple years involving an offender dubbed the "Georgetown Snuggler." With such incidents, women have reported waking up with a strange man in their dorm beds. This latest incident has not yet been linked to the "Georgetown Snuggler," police said. (from The Washington Examiner)
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Has the Georgetown Cuddler returned?
WASHINGTON -- The Georgetown Cuddler may have struck again.
On Wednesday, an intruder broke into a home on the 3300 block of Prospect Street, police said.
It may be the man responsible for a number of break-ins in the neighborhood. Students call him the Cuddler because he will climb into a bed or couch where a resident is sleeping.
"You can say it's a little creepy," said Georgetown student Katrina Koser. "Obviously waking up with someone you don't know in your bed would be extremely scary."
In the most recent incident, the Cuddler allegedly laid down on top of a woman on her sofa, possibly after getting in through an unlocked door around 4 a.m.
Georgetown University is warning students to keep doors and windows locked.
"I live on campus, so I feel a little bit safer, but the idea of someone coming and just laying with you in the middle of the night is terrifying," said Georgetown student Maria Hayden.
"We're taking all of these break-ins very seriously and we have a lot of resources out investigating similarities to see if some of these incidents are connected," said D.C. Police commander Matthew Klein.
So far nobody has been injured by the Cuddler, but police say they're worried the crimes could escalate.
The Cuddler has struck almost a dozen times near campus. He typically enters through an unlocked door or window and either spies on or crawls in bed with unsuspecting women, according to police.
One victim, who didn't want her identity revealed, said the suspect threw a blanket over her while she was sleeping inside her campus apartment last semester. She woke up and started screaming, at which point the man ran off. (from NBC Washington)
This man's (or mens') actions are incredibly dangerous and repulsive. Because these crimes take place in a so-called nice neighborhood, does not mean the impact on the women assaulted or the homes burglarized is somehow lessened. I feel that the media giving this person a name like "The Snuggler" or "The Cuddler" serves to trivialize the victims and also these really disturbing criminal acts. These names are also a testament to one neighborhood's steadfast denial and cover-up of crime within its borders. Image is everything, and God forbid some of the city's most wealthy and influential live in a 'hood where rapes, murders, and burglaries occur. The horror!
In any other quadrant of the city or civilized area of the country, people would address this man or men by the violent crimes they've committed; something like "The Georgetown Burglar" or "The Georgetown Attacker" would be far more fitting than softening the person's image and crimes with visions of snuggling and cuddling like you would with a loved one.
Ick. This disgusts me. A perfect example of the importance of semantics, and of maintaining a firm grip on reality when receiving information from various news sources.
