Think Twice About What Reaction You Have To Brock Turner's Case | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Think Twice About What Reaction You Have To Brock Turner's Case

Suggesting violence, particularly of the sexual nature, is a step backwards.

34
Think Twice About What Reaction You Have To Brock Turner's Case
Posted-Today

With Brock Turner's unfairly early release after only three months in prison, people are understandable angry. However, some people have taken it a step further.

Armed protesters have gathered around his house, some even suggesting "Shoot your local rapist".

Another response has been to suggest Turner's justice should come from he himself being raped, whether it was as a prison joke or as someone outside. Most of these suggestions are limited to anonymous or Facebook comments, but some have gone more public with it.


None of these are the right response.

1. Don't let Brock Turner become the victim.

By shooting him or raping him, he then becomes the victim, which is literally the last thing we want. He becomes a sympathetic character rather than a criminal. Worse even, it could lead to people almost turning him into some sort of twisted martyr.

2. Don't do anything that leads to another court case.

He's already shown that when he's the aggressor, he comes off with just a slap on the wrist. So if he was shot, raped, etc, what do you think would happen? If it's a fair judge, they would know it's unfair to use his past against him, and he would win the trial. If it's an unfair judge, they would probably rule in his favor again and give him a nice sum of money.

3. Rape is never, never okay.

Yes, even when the person you are suggestion should be raped is himself a rapist. Remember this infamous Mean Girls quote?

Same goes true for rape. If we suggest that raping someone is an appropriate reaction, it just makes it okay for for rapists like Brock Turner to think that raping someone is an okay thing. Obviously, that was not the intended message, but again, reference the meme. When girls call each other bitches, they usually mean it playfully and never intend for others to use it as an insult. You have to think what message people will subconsciously take away from your words. Therefore, we must make the message on rape very, very clear, and that message must be that it is never, ever appropriate to rape someone.

So what can we do?

1. Enforce the idea that rape is never okay.

Already, we have another well publicized case where a guy nicknamed "David the Rapist" raped two unconscious women, but was given a light sentence since prison would have messed up his college plans.

His excuse? "He stated that once she did not stop him he thought she was okay with it and he began to ‘finger her’ unaware she was asleep" was in the police statement.

If we promote the idea that consent - given verbally, constantly, and willingly- is necessary for sex, then it becomes clearer that no, not protesting is not being "okay with it".

We also need to stop with the rape jokes. For one, how have they ever been even remotely funny? Take this "joke" from comedian Daniel Tosh: "Wouldn’t it be funny if that girl got raped by, like, five guys right now? Like right now?"

So...where exactly is the joke? It's not even one of those non-PC jokes like the dead baby jokes or Holocaust jokes where they are awful, but sometimes difficult to keep from laughing anyways. This literally has no joke to it. Most rape jokes are about equivalent. So comedians, do yourselves a favor and stop it with the completely humorless rape "jokes". You look inept at your job since you can't craft a half-way decent joke and are showing support for those like Brock Turner, David the Rapist, and all the others.

Overall, make it clear, no matter who the victim is, no matter the situation, rape is never okay.

2. Keep our judges accountable.

Thankfully, the judge in Turner's case, Aaron Persky, has asked to be moved to civil court. People also petitioned to have him removed and noticed he was up for reelection. However, he would have no problem getting reelected as he was running unopposed. If we payed more attention to local elections, perhaps we can evade further problematic rulings.

3. Keep their names in the news.

For those of you still itching for some vigilante justice, this is the way to do it. Make sure that when these criminals names are Googled by future employers, colleges, etc, it's flooded with articles about what they did. Women they might interact with in the future will hopefully recognize the names and know to keep away. Potential friends will recognize the names and know that this is not someone you want inviting to parties.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Thoughts While Studying For Finals
StableDiffusion


That time of the semester has arrived once again, finals. The worst week ever. Who thought it was a good idea for all your classes to have exams all in the same week? Definitely not me. Here's 20 thoughts you may have studying for finals.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Disney magic for New Year!

The "Happiest Place on Earth" has a lot of characters with some pretty great advice.

6179
Disney magic kingdom castle on new years
StableDiffusion

Disney movies are well known and very popular in today's world. Although many people appreciate the plot and the storyline, not many people appreciate the wisdom these characters possess. Every Disney movie has unique advice that can be applied to everyday life. Here are 11 Disney quotes to help start your New Year off right:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

40 Gift Ideas for the Indecisive

It's a time of love, family, memory-making, and gift-giving. But also a time of stressing over the perfect gift.

120310
Christmas gifts around a tree
StableDiffusion

It's officially December. There is less than a month of 2024, and I still feel like yesterday was summer. Now comes the merriest time of the year, the Christmas season.

Everyone has been waiting for this time of year since mid-October (which is way too early, in my opinion) or before. It's a time of love, family, memory-making, and gift-giving. A lot of times when I ask friends and family what they want, I get a lot of "I don't know" or "I don't care."

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Bucket List To Live In The Now

Find excitement in your life and start exploring wherever you are right here, right now.

1756
mu bucket list

I was sitting at my cubicle, now that I am an adult, looking at the rain pouring down on the windowsill, bumming on life, wishing for the rain to just stop for a full day.

There are moments where we count down the hours until work is over and how many more days till the weekend, and this many weeks until something exciting. Or something like that? Well, I was bumming because my next day off from work is not until Memorial Day weekend, which is not until the end of May. And since this is my first year out of college being a “real person,” I am totally missing the winter, spring and summer breaks. I am sure all of us have felt this way even if just for a hot minute…

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

11 Ways To Survive Finals As Told By Leslie Knope

Because you know you're going to be stressed out, and Leslie knows exactly how to survive.

1256
Everything hurts and I'm dying

So finals are on their way. That's right everybody, finals are about to start.

But hey, don't panic. Start getting your affairs in order and prepare for a week of hell. Here's a few things Leslie Knope wants you to do to make your finals week just a little bit less stressful:

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments