Oh to be young, privileged and white as in the case of Brock Turner. The disparity that exists in the punishment of black and white offenders of the same crimes continues to grow in this country, and there is no greater example of that sad truth than the Brock Turner case. How in the hell does a little Stanford yuppie only get six months jail, not prison, time for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman in an alley? I’ll tell you how- privilege.
The defenders of this word “privilege” would like to paint an unfair picture whenever the term is used to describe white men who get away with crimes. But they need to step back and evaluation the details of this situation. At its core, a man took advantage of a woman, was convicted on three FELONY charges, including “assault with intent to rape” and should have been appropriately punished for his crimes. He is a criminal. He was tried, convicted and sentenced. Those sound like the makings of a guilty son of a bitch. Yet, this boy gets off nearly Scott free, what, because his father has the judge in his back pocket? Because he was a star swimmer on the Stanford, swim team? Because he’s a clean cut all American white boy who spent his whole life coddled and protected by parents who taught him that his privilege grants him access to certain areas of the law that others don’t deserve? This situation is outstandingly disgusting.
We have to look at this horrible ordeal and understand that along with the total racial bias that exists in the sentencing; it is also the epitome of rape culture. A victim, whom we know is a victim for sure, is put in the seat to prove that she is a victim. How backward is that? Not only does this woman have the grave misfortune of recanting what happened to her, God knows how many times for authorities, but she is also slapped in the face by the lenient, unfair consequences Turner received. How can we tell rape victims to report the crimes that happen to them when we don’t protect them? Ya’ll I’m telling you I cannot get over it.
No victim should ever have to come to terms with the fact that the person who violated her body will get away with the crime. She said in her statement,
“I thought there’s no way this is going to trial; there were witnesses, there was dirt in my body, he ran but was caught … Instead, I was told he hired a powerful attorney, expert witnesses, private investigators … That he was going to go to any length to convince the world he had simply been confused.”
Sadly, this kind of leniency is granted to white men all the time. The victims have then raped all over again because the system has violated their peace of mind. But this is the American justice system we are talking about here. What more can we really expect if you are a person of color or a woman?
Brock Turner is not the only offender in this situation. His father Dan Turner is no better. In fact, it is clear that Brock learned his privileged ways from him. For Mr. Turner to make light of his son’s actions by saying in a letter to the judge, “…That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life” referencing the possibility of a harsher sentence, makes him the poster child of rape culture thinking. “Oh it was nothing, he didn’t mean it.” “If it were rape, then why did the victim orgasm?” “It’s not rape, he didn’t even cum.” The idiotic statements and insensitive points of view about rape are endless. Behind them is a man or some stupid person who believes that when these things happen, the victim is the one to blame because she was dressed provocatively or in the wrong place or drunk. The hell out of here with that shit man.
Rape culture is real. White privilege is real. And no one benefits from both more than white men. I try, I really do try to see the world through unbiased eyes, but how can I do that when those in power pick and choose who’s life to save, biasedly? And you cannot tell me that they don’t. Judge Aaron Persky claims to have taken Turner “good behavior” and reputation into account when determining the sentence, but that is a load of crap. You expect me to believe that this white boy got off because he has the potential to be an asset to society. Please! Most people riddled with privilege can only be an asset to themselves.
The only kind of “solace” I can offer in this situation is the fact that everyone knows who the hell Brock Turner is, and everyone knows that he did indeed sexually assault an unconscious woman. May he ever be reminded of the load of shit he is.
May the odds ever be against him because of what he did.