In the newest show 13 Reasons Why, all of the characters play a role that caused a girl named Hannah Baker to commit suicide. While all the focus is on the bullying and mental health (and more attention needs to be brought to that), there is an area of the show that more attention should have the light shined onto it.
Because young boys like Bryce Walker turn into dangerous men.
Bryce Walker is an athlete who comes from an affluent family. He has everything that a high school boy could want. He comes from a wealthy family who pays for everything, he has weed and alcohol available for him whenever he wants, and cashiers turn a blind eye to him when he buys alcohol. He is the star baseball player. His name is announced over the intercom at school congratulating him for all that he did to win the game.
Bryce rapes not one, but two girls in the show. Jessica and Hannah. Jessica was passed out drunk, unable to recall what happened the next morning. She convinced herself that it was her boyfriend. Hannah was at his party sober, and he forced himself onto her. He held her down as he took what little innocence she had. The worst part of it is, he got away with it. He got away with it both times because people didn't want to stand up to Bryce Walker, the athlete that can cut people off from his drug dealing and parties.
I am going to stray away from the TV show and bring up a real life incident.
Anybody remember Brock Turner?
An athlete from a rich family who raped a girl who was passed out drunk? He got six months because it would "ruin his career" according to the judge.
Men like Brock Turner stem from boys like Bryce Walker. They get away with things because they're the athlete or they're rich or they are somehow more precious and so is their life and career. Therefore, no one or nothing can touch them. Any bad that they do gets covered up or isn't talked about.
This is an issue that is just as big as the mental health. Every year there are stories about girls getting raped when they're drunk. The headline almost always says "Drunk College Gir Gets Raped". The headline doesn't have "A Sick Man Forces Himself onto a Drunk Girl Because Since She is Drunk it's Obviously Okay". The stories that come from a situation like this are too frequent. This is a time period where we as a society can change it.
Jessica didn't want to report it because she didn't know what happened but she was also scared. She was scared that it was going to be her fault because she was drunk. Hannah tried to report it, but because she was in shock during the rape and could barely move or talk, the school counselor put it as something she "wanted to do, but regretted it". It is a wonder that young women are afraid to report assaults. The first question that almost, always comes is "were you drunk". As if that is a reason that makes it less horrible. The next is "did you try to stop it". Bryce Walker is an athlete who is strong and could have easily hit Hannah and caused her to be knocked unconscious.
It is time to realize that no woman could handle the situation perfectly to get herself out of that situation. More importantly, it is time to stop letting boys and men like Bryce Walker and Brock Turner get away with things because of their social status and the hierarchy. Rape is Rape, whether it is committed when the girl is drunk when the man is rich and athlete. I am asking, no pleading, friends of these type of people to stop letting your friends do this. Tear them off a girl, anonymously report them, just something. Justin Foley in 13 Reasons Why knew what he did to Jessica his own girlfriend, but felt like he owed him because of a number of things he has helped him out with, therefore he didn't do anything about it and lied to Jessica about what happened that night.
I am not saying every athlete is a rapist. In fact, one of my best friend's is a college football player and he is one of the most respectful young men I know. I am very proud to call him my friend. I know not every rich guy is sick in the head. Again, I know some very nice rich guys who have helped their friends out and never expected anything back. However, we have got to stop turning a blind eye to sexual assault and men getting away with it because of a social ranking. Women in Jessica and Hannah's situation get raped by men like Bryce Walker every day and that's a sad truth. Letting men get away with things like this is an even sadder truth, and it needs to be something that goes away.
