There is Now an FB Page Supporting Stanford Rapist Brock Turner
The page called ‘Brock Turner Family Support’ mourns the fact that he may never become a professional swimmer.
Time and again the power of privilege and the hollowness of male entitlement has shocked us. But in the ‘Stanford Rape’ case, things have taken an outrageous turn. Not only did we see an active propagation of rape culture by the family of Brock Turner (the former Stanford swimmer convicted of assault), but the light six-month sentence given to him by a California judge has set a terrible precedent.
To add to matters, there is now a Facebook page called ‘Brock Turner Family Support.’
The posts on the page mourn the fact that Turner, a college-level swimmer, may never go professional. It is “America’s loss”, according to the page.
In keeping with the family’s stance that Turner is the victim in the case, the page suggests that the girl should in fact be blamed.
It is not certain if the page was started by Turner’s family, but the fact that these violently misogynistic opinions are out there – on a platform that reaches out to millions – is a matter of concern. The page has over 4000 likes.
While they have the right to express their opinion, the furore over the blatant belittling of Turner’s crime by his family, and the fact that he is being painted as the victim, is perhaps justified.
A counter page has also been started on Facebook, demanding the social networking site to take the ‘Brock Turner Family Support’ page down.
Facebook, however, responded saying the page does not violate the site’s standards, and could therefore not be taken down.
Turner has been convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman. While the judge, Aaron Persky, has only given him a six-month long sentence, stating that any longer a sentence could have a “severe impact” on Turner’s future, USA Swimming has thankfully imposed a life-long ban on him, meaning that he cannot compete in the Olympics for the US.
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