In 1620, a group of wealthy European men and their families travel to America to establish colonies.
In 1776, a group of wealthy colonists get together to declare their independence from England.
In 1787, a group of wealthy American men sign the constitution, establishing laws for the new country
Our country was quite literally founded on the morals and ideals of wealthy, white men. Although the slaves were freed, women were granted suffrage, and we became "the great American melting pot," there's no possible way we're all equal in the eyes of American society.
You might say "well duh. There's no way we should be equal." I agree. There are certain things that should separate people, work ethic being one of my personal favorites. But it's not about leveling the playing field. It's about inalienable rights. The Constitution grants everyone the same beautiful rights, but it seems that some peoples rights are a little better than others.
If you're unfamiliar with this disgusting face, this is Brock Allen Turner, the former Stanford swimmer who raped an unconscious girl and was only sentenced six months with probation. If you're anything like me, you're probable thinking "what the hell." The judge deemed that prison would have a "severe impact on him" and also states "I think he will not be a danger to others." Although this logic is ridiculous and absolutely ludicrous, I'm not here to shame the judge (I'll save that for another rant).
If you're looking at this picture and thinking "wow, he really doesn't look like a criminal," here's his two mugshots to make you feel a little better about wanting to spit in his face :
First, I want to restate that this monster raped an unconscious girl behind a dumpster. Now, please enjoy the lovely letter Daddy wrote him to get him out of trouble.
Let's take a minute to consider how this entire thing would be handled had it been a male of a different race or literally anyone who doesn't go to Stanford or come from money. The judge would have laughed at this letter and sentenced him to the full 14 years that he should have gotten.
If you're still not convinced that this case has been incredibly skewed by the fact that Turner is a wealthy male, let's just take a minute to consider the media coverage. Have you noticed that instead of calling it what it is, a rape, the media has been using the term "sexual assault"? It took complete and utter outrage from the public to inspire headlines like Light Sentence for Brock Turner in Stanford Rape Case Draws Outrage.
If this case isn't enough to prove that rich white people rule America, let's talk about a few other times rich boys got away with crimes that would have put a lower class American away for a long time.
Cocaine dealer avoids jail time - because prison would 'expose him to criminals'
Simon Beveridge didn't want to ask his rich family to help him pay off debt so he decided that selling cocaine was a better idea. But he said he was very sowwy and the judge let him go. Great job justice system.
Judge: Prison Too Rough for Millionaire Child Rapist
Holy cow. This one. Robert H. Richards IV, who admitted to raping his 3-year-old daughter was sent to a sex offenders rehabilitation program instead of eight years of prison because apparently child rape is only a crime if you're poor.
Texas rich kid who killed 4 in drunken car crash spared jail
Ethan Couch killed people. He got drunk at 16 years old (illegal), drove a vehicle while drunk (illegal), and killed four people (definitely illegal). Yet he didn't go to jail because his parents never taught him right from wrong. I'm sure the people he killed understand that he didn't know killing people was wrong.
It is absolutely absurd that these rich white boys can get away with inexcusable crimes. I think our justice system needs to take a serious look at how they handle these things and frankly get their shit together.
If you feel incredibly irate with the judicial system like myself, I urge you to sign the petition to remove Judge Aaron Persky, the judge of Turners case, from the bench. You can do that here. Although it might not change a lot, it could inspire a deeper look at the crimes the judicial system is committing by improper treatment of serious crimes just because the criminal is rich and white.
