A staggering percent of men do not believe or understand that rape is rape.
That victims reports of their rape, are questioned as genuine or fake.
That victims are subject to barrages of questions and lines of interrogation that question their motives.
That victims are made to relive the worst moments of their lives and their wounds opened repeatedly for public scrutiny and opinion.
That even when rapists are caught their actions are justified as not without reason.
That even when rapists as caught they are treated as human.
This is a picture of Brock Turner, dated September 18, 2014.
Brock Turner has been convicted of brutally raping an unconscious woman ( details of it too gory). He attempted to flee the scene, but was caught by two students from the same university and handed over to the police. He has been sentenced to six months in jail and reportedly will likely not serve more than 3.
What Brock did was horrifying: but in a statement to the press his father argues ” Brock should not have to pay a steep price for “20 minutes of action” out of his 20 years of life.”
20 minutes of action , not twenty minutes of rape, not twenty minutes that have damaged another human being – just a simple, twenty minutes of action like it was mowing of the lawn. Your son, dear sir , has made a victim out of a healthy, happy person, and you failed to teach him on consent.
The judge as he met out justice, went on to say “A prison sentence would have a severe impact on him … I think he will not be a danger to others.”
” I think he will not be a danger to others” .. think of what you just said there .. and what about the damaging impact he has left on another. does a person who reduced someone from being a human to being an object, deserve any mercy ?
During the questioning and deliberations, these were the questions posed to the victim :
“When did you drink? How much did you drink? What container did you drink out of? Who gave you the drink? How much do you usually drink? Who dropped you off at this party? At what time? But where exactly? What were you wearing? Why were you going to this party? What’ d you do when you got there? Are you sure you did that? But what time did you do that? What does this text mean? Who were you texting? W Did you drink in college? You said you were a party animal? How many times did you black out? Did you party at frats? Are you serious with your boyfriend? Are you sexually active with him? When did you start dating? Would you ever cheat? Do you have a history of cheating? What do you mean when you said you wanted to reward him? Do you remember what time you woke up? Were you wearing your cardigan? What color was your cardigan? Do you remember any more from that night? ”
All questions, aimed at finding an excuse that would justify the inhuman action of Brock, as a inevitable natural reaction to a situation that was obviously triggered by the victim.
We have failed miserably as a society in understanding and defining what consent is.
This line of interrogation, investigation and meting out justice is universally true and incredibly shameful. A young woman’s life is shattered. Brock Turner and his father don’t believe that he’s done anything wrong. Neither does the judicial system
But what’s relevant from this traumatic incident is this significant piece of writing that was the victims statement during Brock’s trial, which she had read in court.
That all our moral system has not taught so many men the simple principle that nobody eles’s body is yours to treat as you please. That we have failed so miserably in understanding consent.
This is the biggest worldwide tragedy.