This week was the upsetting trial of the Stanford rapist, Brock Turner, whose sentence was only made six months. The Judge expressed his trepidations as only concern for the rapist, Turner, and not for his victim or the other women he might rape in the future, As this article from BBC News reported, there are three large online petitions being circulated that request the Judge be fired for his actions.
While to men such as Turner and his father--whose now infamous "20 minutes of action" comment has also been protested--rape is just a little bit of fun, to many women and some men across the country and all over the world it is a reality. In India, for example, the rapists of a Dutch tourist to Delhi have received life sentences for their crime, but the battle to protect women and children from violent sexual assault is far from won.
We live in a rape culture. There are different rape cultures that alter based on racial biases, wealth gaps, and the protection of the law. The rape culture of the United States is an underlying one that is in many ways strongly ignored. By teaching young men that they are privileged (the Turner family is a wealthy white one, and he is a talented athlete) we teach them that they can get away with the crimes they commit.
Instead of correcting the behavior of our boys we structure the behavior of our girls to follow a "better her than me" mentality. This mentality protects no one. As many rape victims will report, they followed the rules they were supposed to and were still assaulted. Women who criticize other women and try to teach them how to avoid getting raped are contributing to the problem just as much as rapists are.
Lately the rape culture of the US has been under a spotlight as college women fight for recognition and protection and the US military addresses its long hidden problems with sexual assault. But not everyone is privileged enough to have access to the resources being made available. For example, there are scores of smartphone apps now that will notify the police or your close friends if you don't make it home, but what about young women without iPhones?
It is time to address our rape culture for all of the factors it presents. We must look at the way white rapists are treated versus black ones. The way victims are discriminated against for skin color, sexual orientation, and economic status. The way celebrities are protected and sheltered, or scorned and further abused. It is time to be more than angry: be productive.
