I used this title to grab attention much like the topic of rape no longer does. It seems that monthly we hear of another account of rape by an affluent white male and with every account comes the feeling that nothing will be done. Which seems to be increasingly true.
We first came across the large and disputed arrest of Brock Turner. The former swimmer at the University of Colorado and yes that is generally all I heard about him; that he was a swimmer, NOT that he raped an unconscious female. He was sentenced to only six months in jail when the maximum charge for rape is 20 years. Does this seem fair? Not at all. If I was the victim, I would feel as if there wasn’t even a point to having a trial. He raped her when she was unconscious. Violated her. Took advantage of her. Permanently scarred her. He received only six months in jail.
Fast forward to August 2016 and we are now hearing a new name and a similar case. In May, Austin Wilkerson was also found guilty on one count of sexual assault. This crime can cause a person to get a 12-year prison sentence. He was convicted on three charges and only received two years in jail. Turner did not admit that he actually raped her until he was actually convicted yet Wilkinson admitted it during the trial and still was sentenced to almost no time.
Even though Wilkinson apologized for this horrendous act (in which he changed his story numerous times), Turner blamed “party culture” for this cruel cruel assault. What these rapists are telling women everywhere is that even if you are raped, why take it to trial if your rapist will only be in jail for a few months? Why spend time listening to somebody who raped you blame “party culture” on the victimization of your body to have him only sentenced to six months in jail?
Last year there was an estimated amount of 84,376 forcible rapes that were brought to the attention of law enforcement. This being said, two out of every three rapes go unreported and out of this percentage, the amount of perpetrators that walk free is astounding. Out of every 1,000 rapes 944 perpetrators walk free. That is 94 percent. When I found these statistics I was absolutely astounded. This rape culture is to blame for the hurting of so many women (and men).
People love to blame the women when it comes to rape cases. Saying it was how they walked, how they dressed, or how they acted while intoxicated.This is wrong. No woman ever asked to be raped. Whoever said a woman was “asking for it” had to be very messed up in the head because all of my friends have pepper spray in their purses, in their book bags, or on their key chains. That isn’t asking for it. Who cares about this so called “party culture.” Stop blaming women for your son’s inability to control himself long enough to have intercourse with a conscious woman who is willing to participate. Rape is not an accident, but from what the judicial system has showed me, that is how it is treated.
