"Assault is Not an Accident" : Rape survivor reads powerful statement to her attacker
In case you have been living under a rock for the past week, you will have definitely come across this viral statement that the Stanford rape survivor read to her attacker in court. http://www.cosmopolitan.com/college/news/a59043/stanford-swimmer-rape-victim-letter
You should definitely read it, even if it pulls at your heartstrings, as it should. To give some context: Brock Turner, a criminal who can apparently swim really well, was discovered sexually assaulting a young woman behind a dumpster after they had both attended a frat party. They were both drunk, and she didn’t remember anything, so he got to write the script. According to the survivor, his story changed drastically when he discovered she didn’t remember anything. This letter – a powerful statement - is the result of genuine rape culture, where white, privileged men who are found guilty of three felonies get six months in county jail “because incarceration would be bad for (them).” Six months is a slap on the wrist, not a message that sexual assault matters, and it doesn't improve matters that he is actually only expected to serve three as a reward for "good behaviour."
Imagine if the assailant had been an underprivileged PoC. Preferential treatment is definitely a factor. Brock has not even admitted to assaulting the survivor, only saying that, because he was under the influence, “I couldn’t make the best decisions and neither could she.” This is troubling, and the text of this case can indeed be viewed as a microcosm of everything that is permissive and gives the OK to rapists assaulting people. This case IS rape culture, and should be viewed as such. Brock’s father Dan Turner even came forward and issued a statement defending his son after he was convicted of three different felonies, saying probation was the best sentence for his son. In other words, Dan Turner a) raised a rapist and b) doesn’t want there to be consequences for his son’s actions - which quite frankly explains how he raised a horrible human being. There is a quote from the statement, which you can find here jezebel.com/father-of-stanford-rapist-argues-his-son-should-not-be-1780656927 saying, “This is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life.” Please absorb that. Sit with that and let it sink in.
Action. This is how Dan Turner views his son’s assault on a defenceless, unconscious young woman. “20 minutes of action.” This is a view similar to one that Brock holds, denying all accountability and with no thorough understanding of consent, as is illustrated beautifully by a friend who wrote to the judge in Turner’s defence, who has around the same understanding of consent and boundaries as he does. Read her letter here http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/06/brock-turners-friend-pens-letter-of-support.html .
Understanding of consent, as the survivor herself emphasizes in her statement, is very much key. Because of iffy sexual education, around 40% of Americans do NOT understand. Remember the jury is still out on evolution, so I guess it shouldn’t be too surprising, but the fact that around half of young men don’t understand consent is very much a factor in rape culture. Dude-bros protecting and defending their own is another variable. Add alcohol and date rape drugs to the mix and you wonder if American college campuses are doing anything other than treating students like paying customers and letting them get away with anything they damn well please.
A last plea to the decent men out there – look out for girls. Be a gentleman. Call out your bros when they’re acting creepy or weird or lack accountability. Because this is what rape culture is, and even if the legal system is biased against the women, the least that you can do is talk about high-profile cases like this and talk about women, men and equality.
Women and minorities make things like this about social justice because we still have a long way to go to be equal with men. Please, internalize this article, let it sit with you, and if you catch anyone saying anything, even in the locker room or something like that, call them out, because we are tired. We have been fighting for so long. We continue to fight, but it would sure help if young men's peers and not just the people they perceive as their enemies would call them out.
We can do so much better.
Xoxo,
Olivia
