I just read Brock Turner's statement to police after he was arrested.
I have no words, so I'm just gong to link to it.
Please read.
My first thought was, "Why, this could have happened to any red-blooded American college boy put in this position. THAT SUCKS SO HARD."
My second thought was, "Why is it OK for ANY male under ANY circumstances to sexually assault a woman?"
My third thought was, "Why do we as a society assume that men's right to have sex with women is even a valid point to defend/refute/modify?"
My fourth thought was, "Who the FUCK is teaching our children (male or female) that the traditions/practices of a school activity (swimming, Greek societies, etc.) trump the basic values of decency, so long as they result in a successful college experience?"
My fifth thought was, "Which institutions breed the bottom-feeding lawyers who default to blaming the victim in every case of sexual assault, regardless of the facts?"
My sixth thought was, "Why did the victim's brave, eloquent statement about her attack result in Brock the Cock receiving a six-month sentence, of which he will likely serve just three months??"
My seventh thought was, "Wealthy white people suck, and please don't anyone think I'm one of them."
My eighth thought was, "Had this not happened to an athlete at an elite school, it never would have made the news, because nobody cares what happens to anybody else."
My ninth thought was, "How many other Brock Turners are there, whose victims didn't dare voice their experiences?"
My tenth thought was, "If you raise a single entitled finger against my daughter, EVER, I will gladly accept whatever sentence is handed down for protecting her from you. And if she finishes you before I have the chance, I will defend her actions to my last day. Never forget these words."
That's enough. It's not enough, but it's all I've got.
Possibly the only thing more disturbing than Brock Turner's sentence is his crime. He was raping an unconscious woman behind a dumpster and had to be pulled off by two other people.
ReplyDelete"How many other Brock Turners are there?" is an important question, but also important is, how many men will still feel that if a woman came to their room or invited them in, that if a woman simply agreed to a date, that it was okay to rape her? How many will justify their actions by saying, "What I did wasn't as bad as what Brock Turner did"?
The slap on the wrist Turner received--and his insistence that he's not responsible for his own actions--are horrible.
So is the message being sent.