Dear Brock Turner,
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Dear Brock Turner,

A heartfelt letter extending a weary hand.

9
Dear Brock Turner,

Brock Turner, I don't like you very much. However—out of the kindness of my all-loving heart—I would like to welcome you back to the world after serving only three months in jail. I'm just nice like that.

Given the brevity of your sentence, you haven't missed much, and I don't want to waste my time getting you caught up.

You see, dear Brock. I'm scared of you. You sexually assaulted a young woman just like myself and only gave her three months to grieve and to attempt to live in peace.

I know its not entirely your fault for how things panned out. You can thank the institutional racism of our justice system from which you benefited greatly, saving you from the punishment you deserved. However, you still assaulted her. You took advantage of her. You did the crime and did not do the time. No amount of dues you may try to pay will never begin to repay for what you did.

Brock, I am a young, twenty-year-old, college-attending woman, and I live with the looming fear of being sexually assaulted by people like you, my friends, acquaintances, strangers, whoever. I live with this fear everyday. It has become my most-used, invisible accessory.

So please sympathize for me. Please understand why I firmly hold my keys in between my fingers whenever walking home alone late at night. Please realize the countless and humiliating lectures I have had to sit through ever since I knew what rape was, these lectures treating me like a potential crime scene instead of a human being and teaching me how not to be raped. Please show some sympathy for the women and girls just like me wanting to live a normal life but having that taken away because someone else thought they weren't deserving or that they weren't their own person.

I'm sorry, Brock, to put all the blame on you, but you're the only face I know and recognize. You are an offender who got off easy. You made it big on all the major news channels. You're popular, Brock! I think it's only right that you deserve a bit more of negative publicity.

You, Brock, were supposed to be our nation's best - All-American, Ivy League. But then you assaulted her. I'm sorry your reputation has been ruined, but you're the only one to blame.

Brock, I have one final wish: please use your popularity, your face, and your guilt to fix this. Try to fix an incredibly fearful and dangerous rape culture plaguing college campuses nationwide. Please help.

Sincerely,

A Possible Victim

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
​a woman sitting at a table having a coffee
nappy.co

I can't say "thank you" enough to express how grateful I am for you coming into my life. You have made such a huge impact on my life. I would not be the person I am today without you and I know that you will keep inspiring me to become an even better version of myself.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

63915
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

41726
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

962799
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments