Sex, Privilege, and Fairness - Just Thought You Should Know 6/10/16

Brock Turner is the most hated man in America...and deservedly so.

The poster child for every inequality in the book. (Photo: Vice.com)

  I normally shy away from topics that have been talked about ad-nauseam but what's happening with ex-Stanford swim star Brock Turner is something I can't ignore.   He's become the poster child for White privilege, male privilege, class privilege, and jock privilege, all wrapped up in one disgusting package.  I'd be shocked if he didn't commit suicide or at least attempt it in the next few weeks.  It's easy to forget that he's 21, barely an adult, and being scrutinized in the age of social media and the 24 hr news cycle.  If he weren't a coward, I'd almost feel sorry for him...but he is a coward.  No, I take that back.  He's a predator, camouflaged in the persona of the "all-American" swim star at an elite institution.  The kind of guy who's resume cultural conditioning tells us wouldn't need to rape a woman.  I guess that's what he thought too.  What kind of man takes an unconscious woman behind an outside dumpster like some strung out crack addict?  The same kind of man, who tried to convince the jury that his victim's command of the English language was reduced to saying "yes" to him but slurred every other word.  The narrative we are taught as men, that at our core, the ultimate measures of our success boil down to how much money we earn and how many 10s we bag are why men like Brock and his father exist.  It's pervasive, generational, and obviously without consequence. With a father who characterized this as "only 20 mins of action," is it any wonder Brock (and the people who defend him) think this way?  Women aren't people to these kinds of men.  They're goals to be met and challenges to be conquered, existing for the sole purpose of providing pleasure and validation of their masculinity.  Worse, he's protected by a system that allows people like him to take zero responsibility for what they do or the damaged people they leave behind.

"He's special, he has a future." (Ethan Couch after his capture in Mexico)

He has no idea of the psychological damage, the hell, he and his lawyers put this woman through nor do they care.  During the trial, he tried to paint her as a slut to save his own skin.  Using her lack of memory about the incident against her, he directed his lawyer to ask her questions about the most irrelevant topics, like how much she weighed and did she love her boyfriend, just to trip her up and destroy her credibility.  This is the same man that was tackled by two good samaritans after he was literally caught in the act, of digitally penetrating her unmoving body and his defense boiled down to:

She got drunk at a frat party, so she's guilty of being a slut.  She's the real criminal, not me.

The jury, thankfully, saw through it and found him guilty of all 3 counts of sexual assault.  If the "loss of appetite" as detailed in Dan Turner's letter to Judge Persky, loss of his swimming scholarship, loss of his college education, and the loss of his reputation are the only things he suffers from this ordeal then I'd say he still got off lucky.  The anonymous victim's statement to the court, which describes in vivid detail why this isn't a case of a groupie looking for a payday, has gone viral.  If you have a heart, it's a tough read.  She'll have to live with the scars he left both mentally and physically for the rest of her life.   Brock, of course, has yet to formally apologize or show any form of meaningful contrition but hey, why should he?  I mean, 3 felony convictions should be a societal scarlet letter. for most people.  For him?  Daddy will probably end up finding him a job in defense contracting after he serves 3 months for a crime that should carry a sentence of at least six years.  It's mind boggling to think an entire family can have such an utter lack of self-awareness until you realize that cases like this are exactly why they can succeed with their heads in the sand.  Accountability is only for people who can't afford good lawyers.

Why does this matter?

The sentence Brock received shits in the mouth of everyone who's ever fought for an equal and just legal system in the US.  Judge Aaron Persky, the man who thought jail would be too much for poor Brock, is not only a Stanford Alum himself but was captain of the Lacrosse team.  There's no question in my mind that Persky, who built his reputation on prosecuting sex crimes, saw a younger version of himself in Brock.  Stanford man to Stanford man, Elite athlete to elite athlete, Persky probably saw this as his way of "giving back" after he was appointed to his seat by another Stanford Alum, former California Governor Gray Davis. Justice for the victim?  She didn't go to Stanford so...


Soon-to-be-former Judge Persky told every woman who's ever been raped, every person who's ever served time for being falsely accused of rape, and every victim who didn't report their rape, "your pain doesn't matter."  There aren't enough Stanford alums in California to save him when election time rolls around again...assuming he doesn't get recalled before then.

This isn't the way college networking is supposed to work. (Photo abcnews.com)

What can I do about it?

1.  Sign the petition to have Judge Persky removed from the bench.  1 million have already signed as of this post.  This man has made a mockery of the court by shunning the victims he was sworn to protect.

2. Call, e-mail, tweet, or Facebook your local representative (House of Representatives) and Senator and demand they join their colleagues' call for Persky's removal.  

3. Don't dismiss it when a public figure perpetuates rape culture or trivializes women's rights or minimizes anyone's rights.  No one ever held on to their rights by letting other's rights be taken away, especially when it could be yours they come for next.  We need to do everything we can, even if it's little, to make sure we don't inadvertently co-sign any more Brocks by staying silent.


Til next week!