If you’ve been watching the news, or even reading it, then you know at least a little semblance of what’s been going on with the Stanford rapist, Brock Turner, and the horrible act that he committed (rape) and the case that was brought against him earlier last year, but has gained loads of interest and publicity as of late.

I’ve been tossing ideas back and forth on how to best articulate the thoughts that have been racing about in my head since first hearing about the Stanford rape case and reading the letters and even some of my Facebook friend’s comments on some of the posts that I’ve shared about the topic and I keep coming to the same question … would the result, the sentencing and the outrage, still be the same if a black person did it? And, sadly, my answer is no, simply because of white privilege.

First, I’d like to explain the details about the Stanford rape case for anyone that doesn’t exactly know. Brock Turner was a top-notch swimmer at Stanford University, who decided on the night of Jan. 17, 2015 to go to a frat party and drink, but not enough that he didn’t remember what he did or at least what he’ll admit to doing; however, his level of intoxication takes nothing away from what he did to an unsuspecting woman that night. Emily Doe, as she is being called by the news articles I’ve read, only went to the frat party to spend time with her younger sister, who Brock Turner turned his affections to before eventually landing on Emily. What she wore is irrelevant; she drank also, but her level of intoxication is also not relevant because being unconsciously drunk does not give anyone the reason to thrust their dirty fingers inside of your unresponsive body. Around 1 a.m. the next morning, Brock was found thrusting against an unconscious, unresponsive body beside a dumpster, where no one from the frat party could’ve found them but they were seen by two heroic Swedes riding bicycles and the police were called. In February, according to US Weekly Magazine, Brock pleaded not guilty in court against five felony charges brought against him, including attempted rape, rape of an intoxicated person, rape of an unconscious person, sexual penetration of an intoxicated woman and sexual penetration of an unconscious woman. He even said that he only “fondled” Emily Doe and that they were “only hooking up.” In October, two of the charges were dropped, and he was set to stand trial for the rest of the charges. In March of this year, Turner was found guilty of raping Emily, and was scheduled to be sentenced in June facing a maximum of 10 years in prison for rape. This month, Turner, who has been convicted of rape is sentenced to only six months in jail and three years of probation … for rape.

To be frank, I think that the justice system completely screwed up on this one. I think the worst thing you can do to a sexual assault victim is to allow their abuser to just get a slap on the wrist for any reason. I think Brock Turner knew exactly who to pick to victimize and what to do to get off for his actions. And, finally, I think he got this short jail sentence because of white privilege.

Let’s begin with a simple explanation of white privilege from Mount Holyoke College: white privilege is a set of advantages and/or immunities that white people benefit from on a daily basis beyond those common to all others. White privilege can exist without white people's conscious knowledge of its presence, and it helps to maintain the racial hierarchy in this country. White privilege is the idea that simply because of skin color, there are a set of advantages given to white people that people of color do not receive or even get to blink upon. And normally, the people who do not see this set of advantages are those that they are privy to: white people. White privilege is not having to worry about being shadowed in a department store because you look thuggish and unkempt. White privilege is not having to relax your natural locs because your hair is seen as unprofessional and “nappy.” White privilege is the ability for white people to believe that everything that they do is the racial norm and anything that deviates from that spectrum is downright unruly, disgraceful … and let’s not forget “ghetto”.

Now that you understand Brock Turner’s rape case and white privilege, let’s talk about Brian Banks, the ex-NFL linebacker.

In 2002, according to CBS News, Brian Banks was a high school football star with a full ride to the University of Southern California. However, his plans were cut short when a fellow high school classmate, Wanetta Gibson, accused him of raping her. Banks was then tried and convicted of rape and sentenced to six years. After being released from jail, Wanetta is heard on tape saying that she lied and Banks is exonerated.

I know that race is not always the biggest piece to any problem and that is always the first reason that people run to, but race does play a part in both stories. Brian’s lawyer even knew that race played a part as Brian said, according to CBS News, that she told him that “she feared that the then-16-year-old wouldn't get a fair trial, based on his age, size and race. So she, an African-American herself, convinced Brian to plead no contest to a crime he insisted he didn't commit…” And here is where white privilege comes into play.

Brock Turner was convicted of three felonies … three. Brock Turner was convicted of three felonies and was sentenced to six months where, if he’s a good boy, he can get out in half the time. Brian Banks was convicted of one felony and he was sentenced to six year, without so much as a batting of an eye… just the sound of a wooden gavel.

White male privilege is the ability to place dirty fingers inside of an unconscious, unresponsive woman and get up on the stand and virtually dismiss your entire heinous act by saying it was a part of the party culture that we live in.

Tell me how many people do you know that can go to parties, get drunk and not rape anyone? Party culture is not an excuse for awful decisions made while inebriated.

White male privilege is the ability to get daddy’s money to pay for a good lawyer that will argue and belittle a woman that you victimized and make it seem like she had cause to be raped because she decided to go out, have fun and drink.

White male privilege is the ability to be charged for three separate felonies and still be able to walk out of your imprisonment the same year you are convicted of them.

White privilege is all of these things and so much more, because if a black person did it … or even another person of color did it, would the results still be the same?

"Being white means never having to think about it." - James Baldwin