I think we all are familiar with "rape culture." It's the normalization of rape in our society today. Way too often we read or hear about women being targeted and sexually assaulted for no reason. A more frightening statistic shows that one in five women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. To break that statistic down to women on college campuses being sexually assaulted, it is one in four.
As women, we are taught to always be cautious. Be cautious if walking alone, be aware of how you are dressing, and to never trust anyone because “you never know.”
We are told over and over again to "always be with a buddy," because walking by ourselves is a threat to our lives. "Dress appropriately" in school, because the shoulders your tank top isn't covering up, are a real distraction to boys in your class. "Dress appropriately," because, if you don't, you're pretty much asking to get raped. "Don't trust anyone," because the guy you've been talking to all night probably has another motive. “Never set your cup down,” because some guy might slip something in it and take advantage of you.
It's sad to think that these are now the social norms. That women have to constantly be taking precautions for their safety on an everyday basis.
As much as I hate to even say his name, I think it’s safe to say we all pretty much recognize the name Brock Turner. Not for his records he held on the Stanford swim team, but more importantly for the crime he committed on January 18, 2015. The 19-year-old was found by two bicyclists on top of an unconscious and unresponsive women by a dumpster.
His defense to this horrific action, was that he was drunk. Drunk? This man raped a woman. He was sentenced to only six months in jail. He left her with half of her clothing, injuries, abrasions all over her body, and the psychological damage that will haunt her for the rest of her life, and he got six months in jail?
To top it off, Dan Turner, the father of the rapist, had the audacity to state that the punishment of fourteen years in jail would be a steep price to pay for the “20 minutes of action” his son got that night. That is outright sickening.
I am sorry, but plenty of people are able to get drunk without raping someone. I don’t care that your son goes to Stanford or that he is a good swimmer. He committed a crime and took away an innocent woman’s self-worth. She now has to go on with this awful tragedy in the back of her mind for the rest of her life. She is not to blame for this in any way. The blame is all on Brock Turner, he chose to do this. He raped her and he denied it.
The letter she wrote to Turner is saddening to read. She was targeted and victimized by Turner and never once met him before the incident. She is in no way a victim because what he did to her doesn’t define who she is. She is brave, strong, and inspiring to many. I pray for her and her family and for anyone else who has been affected by this type of criminal, selfish act.
Living in fear of men isn't how we should be living at all. Men need to be strong, respectful, and our support systems. We should be able to trust them, rather than fear their capabilities.
So I'm sorry if my shorts are "too short" or my tank top is a little too low for your liking, but it's how I want to dress and in no way am I, or any of the other innocent women, "asking for it." I do not wish this horrific crime upon anyone. I hope that the boys growing up and men now maturing learn that rape is not okay and never will be.
