# Stupid Privileged White Kid Gets 6 Months for Rape, Father describes it as "20 minutes of action" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 7, 2016, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733 "2016-06-07T14:12:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/201 "2016-06-10T20:06:53Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > There is nothing criminal about that so you must think it is unethical and immoral for a parent to defend his son’s actions by trying to paint them as a moment of indiscretion. What exactly is unethical about a parent doing this? It was such a stupid letter. Of all the things his father could have said-- what volunteer work he has done, what contributions he has made, what his plans were for the future, and how they demonstrated substance of character, what he did that demonstrated strong family ties, he writes about how his son no longer relishes steak, and no longer steals his father’s snack food. The letter that was supposed to argue for mitigation actually painted a picture of a pretty selfish and immature person, whose parents weren’t helping the matter by thinking things he did like filching snack food, were cute and funny. I mean, it’s not grand larceny, but it’s hardly something to mention when you are trying to argue that someone’s rule-breaking was an aberration. The father was giving an example of his son taking what he wants regardless of whom it actually belongs to, and completely unaware of the irony. The son’s letter wasn’t much better, although it was a bit better. His side of the story was unsupported, but at least it seems he didn’t drag an **already-unconscious** woman outside and behind a dumpster. His writing was so bad, it was distracting. It read like something a middle schooler would write. Cross Stanford off potential schools for my son. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/202 "2016-06-10T20:09:30Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > I thought she was talking about the pine needles in her hair not her vagina. From the letter: "I learned that my ass and vagina were completely exposed outside, my breasts had been groped, fingers had been jabbed inside me along with pine needles and debris, my bare skin and head had been rubbing against the ground behind a dumpster, while an erect freshman was humping my half naked, unconscious body. " ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/203 "2016-06-10T20:12:15Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Cross Stanford off potential schools for my son. He can’t swim good, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/204 "2016-06-10T20:12:43Z")
"20 minutes of ‘action’ " gets [lifetime ban from USA Swimming](http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/10/us/sexual-assault-brock-turner-swimming/?iid=ob_article_organicsidebar_expansion) ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/205 "2016-06-10T20:28:53Z")
If my son were in this position I too would write to the judge asking for justice to be tempered with mercy. Yes, he did a terrible thing, but what sort of father would turn his back on his son at such a moment? Should he have asked them to throw away the key, let the guy rot? He’s a father, the guy is his fucking son. Unload on the perp as you please but give the father a fucking break. He has done nothing wrong although from some of the comments you’d be forgiven for thinking he was there behind his son cheering him on. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/206 "2016-06-10T20:30:19Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > > [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > > > I thought she was talking about the pine needles in her hair not her vagina. > > From the letter: > > "I learned that my ass and vagina were completely exposed outside, my breasts had been groped, fingers had been jabbed inside me along with pine needles and debris, my bare skin and head had been rubbing against the ground behind a dumpster, while an erect freshman was humping my half naked, unconscious body. " **Damuri Ajashi** - you should read the whole letter. It’s quite powerful. They’re arranging for it to be read into the Congressional Record next week, as a statement about the impact of rape on American women. Here’s the letter - [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/06/04/you-took-away-my-worth-a-rape-victim-delivers-powerful-message-to-a-former-stanford-swimmer/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/06/04/you-took-away-my-worth-a-rape-victim-delivers-powerful-message-to-a-former-stanford-swimmer/) And here, about the Congressional reading - > **[Congress to read impact statement written by Stanford sexual assault victim](https://abc7news.com/stanford-sexual-asssault-case-rape-assault-at-swimmer-sentenced-in/1378269/)** > > Congresswoman Jackie Speier says members of the House will read the impact statement written by the victim in the Stanford sexual assault. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/207 "2016-06-10T20:39:06Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > He can’t swim good, huh? He’s a lousy swimmer, even though he tries. But, he’s nine and can already write better than Brock Turner. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/208 "2016-06-10T20:40:09Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > **Damuri Ajashi** - you should read the whole letter. It’s quite powerful. They’re arranging for it to be read into the Congressional Record next week, as a statement about the impact of rape on American women. I read part of it. Couldn’t finish. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/209 "2016-06-10T21:10:07Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > There is nothing criminal about that so you must think it is unethical and immoral for a parent to defend his son’s actions by trying to paint them as a moment of indiscretion. What exactly is unethical about a parent doing this? It doesn’t really matter that he was the kid’s parent; IMO, the friend who wrote a letter is exhibiting equally indefensible behavior. What’s unethical about it is that it minimizes and tries to blame the victim and does not acknowledge the seriousness of the crime. Do you think Dan Turner would be okay with a sentence of 6 months in county for the guy who raped his wife? :dubious: Do you think he would accept the same arguments he proffered? :dubious: > [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > I mean his lawyer did much worse, was he unethical or is the lawyer’s duty to Brock greater than the father’s? Lawyers operate under a different set of ethics that we as a society have agreed upon; were you unaware of this? > [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > Brock had already gotten convicted and the father was trying to convince the judge to impose the lightest sentence possible. Is the father supposed to tell the judge to just throw his son under the prison because his son is such a horrible person? It is possible to plea for mercy without denigrating the person your loved one has already victimized. By dragging this thru the court for a year, where was the entire Turner family’s consideration for the victim? Brock Turner was guilty; instead of accepting his guilt, they’ve done nothing but deflect and deny. To me, that alone is unethical behavior but perhaps to you, anything at all is fine if it’s done in defense of a loved one, even when that loved one has committed a heinous act. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/210 "2016-06-10T21:19:14Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > What did the father do that was criminal? The major sin of the letter the father wrote is that it is actually poorly crafted, and, as Dangerosa points out, it probably would have been a good idea for someone to review it more carefully than it was. I don’t see what law was broken or ethical line was crossed. He made bad arguments insensitively. He did so in writing. I didn’t say he did anything criminal; I do think he did something unethical with his letter. His son was clearly guilty. He had already been found guilty. Yet his father sought to minimize the serious nature of the crime in order to spare his son tim win prison, right? Let me put that in other words: this man sought to put a dangerous, violent individual back in public with little to no supervision, placing untold numbers of people at risk _because he really likes the dangerous, violent individual a lot_. And you want to say that’s a normal, acceptable thing for someone to do? :dubious: I strongly disagree. > [@Scylla](#): > > But I was counting on you! I was serious. What you wrote does not describe the events under discussion and could be said to reasonably appear to be an attempt to shift blame to the victim. From what you wrote, you appear to have recognized this. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/211 "2016-06-10T22:26:22Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > It doesn’t really matter that he was the kid’s parent; IMO, the friend who wrote a letter is exhibiting equally indefensible behavior. What’s unethical about it is that it minimizes and tries to blame the victim and does not acknowledge the seriousness of the crime. Do you think Dan Turner would be okay with a sentence of 6 months in county for the guy who raped his wife? :dubious: Do you think he would accept the same arguments he proffered? :dubious: > > It is possible to plea for mercy without denigrating the person your loved one has already victimized. By dragging this thru the court for a year, where was the entire Turner family’s consideration for the victim? Brock Turner was guilty; instead of accepting his guilt, they’ve done nothing but deflect and deny. To me, that alone is unethical behavior but perhaps to you, anything at all is fine if it’s done in defense of a loved one, even when that loved one has committed a heinous act. Exactly. The way to write a letter like this is to emphasize what he was like before the crime. Hard worker at his sport and school, community service, all stuff like that. Delicately put how the crime itself was so at odds with his previous character, without in any way denying he committed it. But making it into “He lost his appetite, that’s punishment enough” and “Besides, both of them were drunk” is completely the wrong way to plead for leniency. Or maybe not, since apparently Judge Pricksy took all the letters he received at face value, even when they claimed things that were clearly untrue. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/212 "2016-06-10T23:39:29Z")
His life is over. There is absolutely nothing he can ever do in this life to redeem himself in the face of society. Question. If he had been convicted of murder, would anyone have even noticed? ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/213 "2016-06-10T23:49:59Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > His life is over. There is absolutely nothing he can ever do in this life to redeem himself in the face of society. Question. If he had been convicted of murder, would anyone have even noticed? Who’s life is over? After a hockey season in the pen, he’ll walk around free as a bird. Daddy may send him to live in Europe for a couple of years. Then his looks will have changed a bit, the media uproar will have died, he can come back and do just about anything that doesn’t splash his face over the internet. There’s already plenty of folks who think _he’s_ the victim here. And he _can_ redeem himself. The first step would be to fess up, which he hasn’t done yet. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/214 "2016-06-11T00:16:25Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > Who’s life is over? After a hockey season in the pen, he’ll walk around free as a bird. Daddy may send him to live in Europe for a couple of years. Then his looks will have changed a bit, the media uproar will have died, he can come back and do just about anything that doesn’t splash his face over the internet. There’s already plenty of folks who think _he’s_ the victim here. > > And he _can_ redeem himself. The first step would be to fess up, which he hasn’t done yet. He is now a registered sex offender Typo. That never goes away. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/215 "2016-06-11T00:23:27Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > Who’s life is over? After a hockey season in the pen, he’ll walk around free as a bird. Daddy may send him to live in Europe for a couple of years. Then his looks will have changed a bit, the media uproar will have died, he can come back and do just about anything that doesn’t splash his face over the internet. There’s already plenty of folks who think _he’s_ the victim here. > > And he _can_ redeem himself. The first step would be to fess up, which he hasn’t done yet. - He is a registered sex offender. - Attempting to finish college will result in attention from the campus women’s center, for those campuses who will accept him - Any company that runs a background check will quietly find a way not to hire him - Anyone searching his name will find the case So he would need to move to Europe, join the Foreign Legion, get a new name (if they still do that). Of course, if he changes his name he has to notify his parole officer (per an article I read). So it will take awhile for him to break free of this. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/216 "2016-06-11T00:50:31Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > he can come back and do just about anything that doesn’t splash his face over the internet. Such as? The Internet is all-pervasive these days. It’s not simply a case of not “splashing his face over the internet”; unless he becomes a hermit interested parties **will** track him down even if it is only as a way of spreading juicy gossip. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/217 "2016-06-11T01:07:51Z")
What? I’m supposed to feel sorry for him? Cry for his troubles? Lament the terrible tragedy that will be his life? All the hardship HE will have to overcome? The asshole is appealing the conviction. There is still the chance that he doesn’t do time at all and won’t have to register as a sex offender. > [@](#): > > He is now a registered sex offender Typo. That never goes away. Not if he lives in Europe, or Mexico. Canada is still on the table. The stain is unlikely to follow him there. > [@](#): > > The Internet is all-pervasive these days. And our attention span grows shorter every day. Should he keep out of the public eye, he will be forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/218 "2016-06-11T01:28:18Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > What kills me is he gets what is essentially a walk…and he is appealing to conviction! “6 months…no way man, that will be on my record forever! APPEAL!” Is there chance that could backfire, and he end’s up getting a harsher sentence after a retrial? 🙂 > [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Maybe he should be given an option then. Register as a sex offender for the rest of his life or get RAPIST tattooed in block letters on his forehead. His choice. I’m not a fan of tattoos, especially facial ones. Maybe just give the kid a choice between full castration or life on the sex offender registry? > [@TroutMan](#): > > …And as much as I think the sentence was horribly inadequate for the severity of the crime, I can’t get behind the recall effort of the judge. Judges should not be subject to following public opinion. Issues like this sentence should be addressed by the judicial ethics commission, not recall petitions and mob mentality. [This](http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2016/06/the_stanford_rape_case_and_liberal_hypocrisy.html) says it better than I can. As disgusting as I find this I can’t get behind a recall effort. I don’t even think the judiciary should be elected in the first place. > [@MsRobyn](#): > > One more time. It. Does. Not. Matter. if a person gave consent while drunk. A drunk person can’t give consent… Is it only women who are incapable of giving consent while drunk, or does that apply to men to? Because the latter would mean men who commit sex offenses while intoxicated shouldn’t be held responsible (or at least get a lighter punishment), and the former is just plain ridiculous. What when both parties are male (or female)? Does whoever was drunker automatically get designated the victim while the less drunk one get designated the perpetrator? > [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > Who’s life is over? After a hockey season in the pen, he’ll walk around free as a bird. Daddy may send him to live in Europe for a couple of years… Betcha those visas are going to cost a pretty penny. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/219 "2016-06-11T02:13:51Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > \And our attention span grows shorter every day. Should he keep out of the public eye, he will be forgotten.\ My Dad, before he died lived all his life on the internet. He oddly became a bit of an internet junkie… I guess I am too, but it’s part of my job. Anywho, my Dad wanted to write a book about the internet, and the information it reveals. His title was going to be - More and More about Less and Less I thought that title was brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Clarisse\_McClellan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Clarisse\_McClellan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clarisse_McClellan)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/220 "2016-06-11T02:14:34Z")
Creep was always a [creep](http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-stanford-rape-case-documents-release-20160610-snap-htmlstory.html) and his sentencing statement about being an innocent kid from Ohio was a lie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733.md?page=12)