Before I start this rant, I want to fully disclose some information. I am 21-years-old, and I'm a white male from an upper-middle-class family. The stigma of being a privileged white male, however, does not stop me from feeling absolute disgust for what happened at Stanford. Even as a college student who has done his fair share of partying, I actually have a set of morals and a brain that works well enough to know that things such as this are wrong, vile, and absolutely inhumane.
By now, I'm sure most everyone has heard about the case involving Brock Turner, the All-American swimmer at Stanford who was accused, and convicted, of sexually assaulting an unconscious, drunk woman behind a garbage can. Granted, he was intoxicated as well, but it doesn't take a genius to know that there is no such thing as "consent" when under the influence of alcohol, or any other drug.
And yet, he continued with what he was doing, anyway. Two witnesses saw him on top of this woman, while she wasn't moving, behind a trash can. When he tried to get up and run, he was tackled and held down until the police arrived. Anyone with a conscience and feeling for what's right and wrong would think that he was convicted of rape and sentenced to years in prison.
Wrong. This criminal was convicted of three felonies, none of which were rape, and sentenced to merely six months in jail. Not prison, but simply jail. Oh, and probation. So I guess that makes it a little better right? Wrong again.
The fact that Turner is getting off so easily is absolutely disgusting. Not only were the rape charges dropped, but being convicted of the three felonies he was charged with carried a maximum of fourteen years in federal prison, and he only got six months in jail with probation, with a chance to get out as early as September 2nd if he displays good behavior behind bars. That's basically a slap on the wrist.
Why such a lenient sentence? Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Pensky was of the mindset that since Turner is of the mere age of 20 and had no past criminal record that "a prison sentence would have a severe impact on him." In case you were wondering, this same judge is also up for re-election. Do us a favor California, and don't vote for him.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Brock's father wrote a letter discussing his feelings that his son should not be punished so severely for "20 minutes of action." According to his father, Brock was no longer eating his favorite food (steak), which in his eyes in pretty comparable to the effects of being sexually assaulted. Makes sense to me.
I am not one to typically get involved with the argument of rape culture in America, or white privilege, or any of those sorts of things. Considering I'm a white male from an upper-middle-class family, it kinda sucks to be grouped into that category. However, if there was ever a case to prove the rape culture and white privilege that this society exhibits, it's this case.
A star, white male athlete from one of the most prestigious universities in the world is being given leniency simply because of who he is. If this case involved anyone else other than a star athlete, not only would this not even be a headline in the national news, but the person who committed the crime would be sentenced to rot in prison for at least ten years.
The fact that both Brock and the woman involved were intoxicated is moot, at best. It is not an excuse, and I know more than a fair share of people who know better than to try to do anything like this while under the influence of alcohol. He knew what he was doing, and he still barely paid the price for it.
Because of this ruling, women (and men) everywhere are in an outrage. What kind of message are we sending to victims of sexual assault with this kind of ruling? It doesn't even matter if the victim is a male or a female; this sentencing is setting a scary precedent that the victim is not what's important in these kinds of situations. We take into account what the perpetrator has to lose more than what the victim has already suffered through.
There are those that say we, as a society, should be teaching women to not dress as provocatively, to not drink so much, and to be aware of their surroundings when outside at night. Do we say those same things when men are sexually assaulted? Maybe, instead of saying those things to women, we should stop tolerating and being so lenient with sexual assault in cases such as this. Women should be allowed to get belligerently drunk if they so choose, just as men can. Men are never told to dress more conservatively, so why should we tell women that?
This is the rape culture that we as a society have come to embrace for whatever reason. We hold the value of an athlete and what he bears to lose to a higher regard than that of the victim. It's sad, it's unfathomable, and yet it is what's happening all the time in this country. As someone who studies and loves the world of sports, I am sick and tired of seeing big-time athletes get preferential treatment in cases like this. It's time to end this reign of terror and stand up to permanently end sexual violence and assault.
No one deserves to be alone, isolated or made to feel like they are to blame for a sexual assault. It's time to stop victim blaming, and start helping those that have been greatly affected by these heinous crimes. There are places that can help those who are victims of sexual assaults and other violent sexual acts, and as an attempt to do my part in making my voice heard for those who don't have a voice, I am putting links to great sites to help those in Central Ohio as well as nationally. Let's end sexual violence, together.
Sexual Assault Response Network of Central Ohio (SARNCO):
https://www.ohiohealth.com/sexualassaultresponsene...
National Sexual Assault Hotline:
https://hotline.rainn.org/online/terms-of-service....
