I am sure you have heard by now the news and social media surrounding the Brock Turner rape case. No matter what the sentencing comes down to, and no matter what is being said about it, everybody is angry about it in some way. However, when we look at the big picture, this is not the first rape case that has ever come about. There is an entire rape culture alive and active, and these sorts of things are happening every single day that the media never talks about.

So, we should ask ourselves: Why are we so angry about this case in particular? These cases are swept under the rug every single day and attackers get away with it all the time. Are we angry with Brock Turner himself? Are we angry with the judge who gave him such a short sentence? Or, are we angry with Brock’s father, who compared the trauma of a rape to not being able to eat a ribeye steak anymore? I believe the answer lies with none of the above.

As a society, we are angry because we are afraid. We see that this is happening to people all over the place, even close to home. We see the result of victimization every single day, and we are afraid it could happen to us or to our relatives. Our sister, mother, girlfriend, aunt, niece or friend could be standing in the same shoes as the Stanford victim. They could have been or could be a victim of somebody like Brock, and we can’t help but feel there is little to nothing we can do to prevent that. Because of the percentage of people in the world who are capable of performing such assaults, we have to live in fear every day that this might happen to us or somebody we know.

We should not have to live in a society where we are afraid that this could happen to us at any moment. We should not be on the defense at all times because we are unsure of what another human is capable of doing to us simply because of the clothes we wear or because they can place the blame on alcohol and 20 minutes of action. The unfortunate events that happened to the Stanford victim were a result of a sick and poor decision on the part of Brock Turner; there is no doubt about that. However, we are also lacking to mention in the multiple news articles the two random samaritans who saved her. We give the rapist so much light, and the actual heroes of the story none. I believe that if we are able to switch the mentality to the positivity of the two that rescued her, then we will be able to help change the face of the rape culture to the people who are actually trying to make a difference rather than drag it on. Changing the rape culture will take everyone's involvement – not just men, not just women, everybody. We need to support each other and empower one another, so we are able to feel safe in our own communities. Through education and support, we will be able to face the rape culture head on and hopefully prevent any Brock Turners from entering our lives.