Let’s talk about Brock Turner.
Just in case you haven’t heard of his story, I’ll give you a brief scoop on what’s been going on in the news lately. Most of the headlines read something like this: “Stanford All-American Swimmer Sentenced To 6-Month Jail Sentence Following Sexual Assault." Sound familiar yet?
Brock Turner, 23, is a former swimmer from Stanford University.
But more importantly, he is a RAPIST.
Yep, you read that right. There is no way around it. Brock Turner is a rapist. He sexually assaulted an unconscious woman, documented by several eyewitnesses, and yet he only receives a six-month jail sentence. The state of California didn't even consider what he did as rape. This is absurd, right?
Anyone who commits rape or sexual assault should be sentenced to prison for many, many years.
Aaron Persky gave this very lenient sentence, saying that anything more than this would have a “severe impact” on Brock.
I’m sure the crime that he committed will have a severe impact on his victim, but no one is concerned about that in Persky’s court room.
Brock Turner’s father thinks otherwise. Brock’s father, Dan, has been an advocate for Brock’s small amount of jail time, saying that his son does not deserve jail time for a "mere 20 minutes of action." He has even gone to the extent to say that the victim faked the whole rape story. Excuse me? Does Dan Turner realize how ridiculous he sounds?
This is the world that we live in. This is rape culture in America, where women are taught to take the proper precautions to shield themselves from rape. It is automatically the victim’s fault for "being a slut." It doesn’t matter that Brock Turner scarred her for life and left her with an experience that will torture her for the rest of her life. It is still considered her fault. This is wrong. Rape is never the victim’s fault. Stanford University has gone to new limits, banning alcohol from parties at their school, and hoping to “educate” women on how to take proper precautions to prevent them from being raped. I’m 99.9 percent sure that it isn’t the alcohol’s fault that the sexual assault occurred, but the rapist’s fault. What a crazy concept.
Brock was released early from his lenient jail sentence of six months. He only spent three months in jail due to his good behavior. We were all really worried about him, especially since he couldn’t enjoy his dad’s steak. According to his family, Brock was fearing for his life in jail. I can’t imagine that being out of prison is much better for Brock now, granted that he has protesters outside his home 24/7. Many of these protesters are actually armed as well.
Although there is not justice for Brock Turner's victim, hopefully we as a nation can use this terrible event as a call to arms. Hopefully this case will lead to more cases of rape and sexual assault actually being reported to the police. Maybe women won't be scared to report that they were raped, and maybe this will bring a change in America's justice system. Brock Turner may have still gotten off easy, but this is not the end.
Rape is rape, and it is not okay. I urge you to teach your children that it is not okay to rape. I urge you to stop sexual assault when you notice that it might be about to occur. Let us use this as a lesson to fight for change in our justice system.
