Many of you have probably heard about the rape of an unconscious women committed by Stanford swimmer, Brock Turner. And many of you have also probably heard about what his sentence was: six months. Six (or even three) pathetic months were given to him because prison would "affect him too much." If you think privilege doesn't have anything to do with this, you are wrong. If this were, say, a person of color, a prior offender, or someone who wasn't an "Olympic prospect," the sentence would have been much harsher. The judge could have given him up to FOURTEEN years, and he walked away with something that was less than a slap on the wrist.
His father then proceeded to say that his 20-minute mistake caused him so much pain that he has become depressed and doesn't even eat his favorite meal anymore. His favorite meal? The woman he attacked lost her sense of worth, and I think that's much more important than his choice of food. Brock's "20-minute mistake" took away a strong woman's way of life, her dignity, her sense of safety, and her belief in herself.
When I read the speech she had given at his trial, I was in awe of how much strength she had to stand up and share details about when she was invaded by Turner. Today, society sometimes tries to blame rape on the victim: "They had too much to drink," "They were blacked out, anything they say shouldn't be valid," "They should learn how to handle their alcohol better." THEY!? THE VICTIM!?
It's now 2016 and victims are still being told they were asking for it. Instead of victim shaming, it's time to fix the real problem: people who rape. I don't care who you are, or how much money you have to hire a good lawyer; you're a disgrace to this society. The thing is, I know all of this has been said before multiple times, yet it is still happening to innocent people.
Brock Turner deserves to be in prison for the rest of his life, not to become a free man in half a year when he left scars that can never be healed. The victim will be reminded of that horrible night for the rest of her life, while Brock will probably go back to worrying about his swim times again. If you don't know who he is, I hope you do now. As a young woman, I'm outraged, and, quite frankly, scared. Thinking if I was in that situation, or a close friend was, and that was the punishment given to the racist scares me half to death. It's time for a change, and Brock deserves every bit of hell he's going to get. Sorry you don't eat steak anymore Brock, but you caused a lot more damage than a lack of appetite.
