The Brock Turner case is a travesty of justice. The statement of the victim is worth reading in its entirety here. How did we get to this point? The media / social media narrative is that this is just further evidence of the continuing oppression of the patriarchy. There is certainly some truth to that, given that we generally see this type of violence being perpetrated by men on women. It’s also true that crimes of this sort seem to have decreased in recent decades, and feminism can take some credit for this improvement. Still, a few points are worth making:

It sometimes seems like the one aspect of the patriarchy that progressive feminists have succeeded in destroying is its one virtue: the notion of male chivalry. It is simply a biological fact that male bodies withstand the effects of alcohol better than female bodies, which exacerbates female vulnerability in frat party settings. The proper response is to be honest about this difference, and to therefore emphasize that men must treat women and their bodies with respect. We can change the culture, but we can’t make men and women equally alcohol tolerant. In the words of Horace, “You may drive out Nature with a pitchfork, yet she still will hurry back.” Does Brock represent the future of a feral patriarchy without the religious and cultural restraints of the past?

“As liberal decency has severed itself from intellectual integrity, and exiled harsh truths, these truths have found new allies, and become considerably harsher. The outcome is mechanically, and monotonously, predictable. Every liberal democratic ‘cause war’ strengthens and feralizes what it fights.” – Nick Land

Progressives have been pushing to eliminate minimum sentencing guidelines. But is there any conceivable situation where 6 months is a sufficient punishment for rape? This push is of course about reducing incarceration rates among black men. Will social media erupt the next time a poor black girl sees this happen to her rapist, or will we only react when it happens to rhetorically gifted white girls who aren’t tainted with “slut” prejudices? (FWIW I’m in favor of the death penalty as a minimum sentence…)

The way we frame punishments as a learning experience (thus, as doing a favor to) the perpetrator leads to this sort of unjust leniency. From both the Judeo-Christian and social contract perspectives, Brock has voided all his rights, and thus society owes him nothing — not even the incarceration length that we or some judge believe is optimal as a learning experience.

Much discussion has focused on the culture of Oakwood, Ohio — Brock’s hometown. However, discussion about alcohol-fueled party culture is off-limits. Why? The excuse that he was inadequately educated presumes that humans are not equipped with consciences that make us all morally responsible, regardless of our parenting etc. Blaming intoxication is of course equally inexcusable, because 1) Brock chose to drink the alcohol and 2) alcohol removes inhibitions, revealing his true character.

Still, as a society we are responsible for creating an environment where young women are safe and young men are virtuous. Thus, both issues must be discussed. Further, we must examine whether other enshrined dogmas will encourage or discourage future crimes. Here are some examples:”It’s just bodies.” “Sexual inhibitions are bad.” “To thine own self be true.” “Live each day as if it were your last.”Was Brock Turner perhaps just taking those quotes to their logical conclusion? He treated his victim as if she were just a body, and he certainly was sexually uninhibited and true to himself as he raped his victim. And as documented in heartbreaking fashion by the victim’s statement, Brock’s actions have continued their devastating impact, showing that we must treat our actions with the recognition that they have long-term, even eternal impacts.