Today is a special day. It’s not the special that you would usually use to describe a birthday, wedding day or anniversary though. It’s special as in interesting. And it’s interesting as in unclear. Unclear as in I don’t understand why these kinds of things keep happening. So actually today isn’t special at all. Today is another day where the justice system fails women once again. Today Brock Turner, the Stanford Rapist, gets released from incarceration.
Maybe for Brock today is special. It shouldn’t be though. He only had to serve three of the six months he was sentenced to. Three months is all he had to pay for changing a woman’s life permanently. Or should I say three months for “twenty minutes of action” as his father said. So I guess today is pretty special for Brock Turner. He is now free to rape another innocent woman. What would stop him? After all, he barely got a slap on the wrist for his first reported rape.
Although today is special for you Brock, let me enlighten you on who this day is not-so-special for.
Today is not special for all college-aged women. Today is a reminder that they must learn to protect themselves, because the justice system isn’t going to. Today is a reminder to carry your mace or taser at all times. Don’t forget to park under a light pole if it’s possible and never walk with your hands full, because if your hands are full, then you won’t be able to fight off your rapist. Because in this country we teach our women how to prevent rape, rather than teaching our men to not rape.
Today is not special for past rape victims. Today is a slap in the face to them, because it reiterates the fact that what happened to them actually isn’t considered heinous. It can’t be heinous because Brock Turner served a sentence that is shorter than what some criminals do for theft. Theft probably should have been added to his sentence seeing as he stole so much from his victim. And what he stole cannot and will never be returned.
Today is not so special for future rape victims (and yes there will be future rape victims because as a country we keep failing to address this issue). Today shows them that reporting their rape may not do much for them. It might cause them more trauma, because they will be stuck wondering whose side the justice system is really on. Many rape victims leave their assault unreported because they see instances like this and fear they won’t be believed, or that they will be slut-shamed. They might be told that they asked for it, or they shouldn’t have drank too much, or maybe that their clothes were too tight.
Today is not so special for your victim. The woman that you abused and stole so much from. The woman who will continue to remember what you did to her for the rest of her life. Today is not special for her. Today shows her that you got away with it, not in the literal sense, but in the sense that your punishment was a joke.
Today is really only special for Brock Turner, the Stanford Rapist. For the rest of us, it should make us furious, furious enough to take a stand. Remember this day America, and I beg you to please never let another day like this come. Protect your women, don’t shame them.