The Color of Privilege

There is a continuous struggle for the world to diminish all types of discrimination. However, this is still an ongoing fight and there are times when it seems like there has not been any improvement at all.

Thus is the case of the Stanford University rape case of former swimmer athlete Brock Turner. Turner was found guilty of three felony counts but was given only six months of county jail time and  three years of probation by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky.

However, lawyers say that he can be released in just three months depending on good behaviour. Turner may serve only three months for raping an unconscious 23-year-old woman at a fraternity party. Judge Persky defended his decision by saying that prison would have a sever impact on him [Turner], and thinks that Turner will not be a danger to others.

An unusual statement, considering that not only has Turner already inflicted danger to another human being, but statements have been released of him having a history of being “creepy” around other women as well, says witnesses for the victim. Turner has a history and actual case of making women feel unsafe and actually hurting someone but the judge decided that Turner’s future is more important than the justice that the victim deserved.

In light of the crime done by Turner, another rape case has surfaced: the case of Brian Banks who was falsely accused of rape and was sentenced to six years in jail. In 2003, Brian Banks was a promising high school football player who had a promising future in front of him until a classmate of his accused him of kidnapping and rape.

Banks had already spent a little over five years in prison before his accuser retracted her statement and said that she had made the whole thing up. But Banks had already lost 5 years of his life paying for a crime he did not even do.

Banks and Turner had almost similar cases. They are both athletes who had bright futures ahead of them, they have never been convicted of anything before, they both faced rape cases against them. The only difference between them is that Turner is white and Banks is black.

This sparked angry notions all around the globe. The difference of the weight of the sentence between Banks and Turner seems like the latter got off easily because of “white privilege”.

How come Banks payed heavily yet Turner is not? How come the privilege of having a lighter sentence because it might have a “severe impact” was not afforded to Banks? It seems like justice comes in colors.

Until today, the black people in America still suffer from racial discrimination. Brian Banks was one of them. His dreams were taken away from him because a judge refused to believe the lack of evidence against his [Banks] case.

But let us not forget that this is not only a case of racial discrimination, but more importantly of women degradation and endangerment.

This world needs a lot of fixing but hopefully the people in greater power help in making this place a little better.