I am sure  by now that most people are aware  of the horrible story of former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner and the woman known as Emily Doe, the college graduate who was raped by Turner behind a dumpster while she was unconscious.  Turner was found guilty of three felonies, but got a reduced sentence because the Judge, a Stanford graduate, was worried about the “severe impact” a long prison sentence would have on Turner.  Turner was sentenced to six months but will be out in three.  

    If you read the statement Turner made to the Court, it is impossible to ignore the pathetic attempt and self-pity and the avoidance of responsibility (which has replaced both baseball and football as our national pass time).  Turner attempts to blame alcohol for his fundamental lack of judgment and hideous behavior.  He stated, “I wish I never was good at swimming or had the opportunity to attend Stanford, so maybe the newspapers would not want to write stories about me”.  Could this pusilanimous little piss ant be more contemptible??  He is not to blame.  Peer pressure, alcohol and campus promiscuity attacked Emily Doe, not Brock Turner.  To make matters worse, in a statement by Turner’s dad, he lamented the fact that these “20 minutes of action” were taking away from an otherwise exemplary lead life.  He went on with a sad face to announce to the world that his son no longer ate a rib-eye steak with any zeal or enthusiasm.  Well, if we knew of this sudden eating disorder earlier we could have given Turner no prison time at all.  Folks, how can we take this seriously??  Have we strayed this far from reality?? I would like to remind everyone that Turner fled the scene of the crime on foot after two passing cyclists witnesses the attack and halted it.  

    It is as if the victim, Emily Doe, does not exist.  Our sympathy and lament should be spent on Turner, not Doe.  The damage was done to him, not her.  Somehow, the perpetrator is the victim.  Emily Doe is just a woman who got in the way of Brock Turner’s privileged life and Brock Turner’s father’s grand plan for Brock’s ascent up the corporate ladder.  Emily Doe was not going to louse up their American Dream.  Who was she to do that to them??  She was just a disposable part, cast away to deal with emotional ruin.  

    Many have said that this mindset and light sentence are evidence of white privilege.  I cannot argue that point, but I feel that it does not take into account the true color that matters, which is green, the color of money.  The more affluent you are, the more sympathy you feel you deserve, and the more favors you get and feel entitled to.  Rather than issuing an apology, being sincere and contrite, Brock Turner itemizes the things HE stands to lose as a result of this incident.  More concerned with the impact HIS crime has on him than on her, which brings me to another point that should not be overlooked, which is the way our society treats women.  They are still underpaid and undervalued in the workplace, and are still targets for sexual assault and rape on every college campus in our nation and on every street.  Even in their own homes.  This weak judge could have sent a message to women that their assailants will not see freedom for a long time, regardless of their race, wealth, college or social connections.  But he in turn chose to add to Emily Doe’s nightmare with another attack, letting Turner out in 3 months. Disgraceful.  He should be stripped of his ability to judge any future case, ever.