Her skirt wasn’t too short. She didn’t have too much to drink. She wasn’t just being a tease. She didn’t get what was coming for her.  Rape is rape and there’s no way you can spin it to justify the action.

Our society today is ever-changing and it seems as though we are constantly creating new “norms”. Times of segregation and homosexual prejudice are far behind us and we have come to accept these things in our society. But, as we allow progression of society’s norms, it’s inevitable that we find the normality in some criminal and immoral things as well, contributing to the beginning of what we call today “Rape Culture”.

According to Marshall University, Rape Culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture. This type of culture is especially prevalent in universities today as alcohol use is common in those types of environments, giving the predators leeway to take advantage of young women and “blame it on the alcohol”.  

Pleasant Valley senior, Lauren Cramer said, “I am so excited to start my college experience this coming Fall, but honestly all these recent rape cases are making me nervous. Knowing that something that traumatic could happen to me and the perpetrator could be let off with no punishment isn’t a settling thought.”

These types of incidents are more probable when men know they could do it without any legal repercussions. Cramer continued, “College campuses are huge and it’s unlikely that I will always be accompanied by someone I know and trust. I’m going to be walking around alone often and it scares me to think that I face the risk of being attacked with no way to really defend myself.”

In America, 1 in 7 rape cases will ever see the inside of a courtroom and 97% of rapists will not spend a single day in jail. Most victims are scared to even report their case under the impression that authorities will either not believe or overlook their case and the perpetrator just won’t be brought to justice. These reservations aren’t ridiculous either given the above statistics.  “I hear about all these college rape cases and I feel like the rapist is more often than not sentenced excused of their rightful punishment,” said University of Iowa Freshman, Ellie Lampe.

While rape incidents are happening in more places than just college campuses, there has been a recent surge in these types of crime in universities. The lack of punishment in these cases is causing a stir throughout our country as well. “I’m really surprised by the negligence our court systems are showing to these cases, it’s unnerving as a college student. I can’t imagine going through something that traumatizing and being expected to keep it to myself,” Lampe added.

A popular rape case took the nation by storm just this past June as the perpetrator, Harvard Swimmer, Brock Turner, served only three out of the nine months. His sentence was shortened for the sake of his reputation as a star athlete and student, further validating rape culture in America.

In reference to his son’s sentencing, Turner’s father said “That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life.” But, to the victim those twenty minutes will result in a lifetime of suffering.

In her impact statement, the victim said, “On that morning, all that I was told was that I had been found behind a dumpster, potentially penetrated by a stranger, and that I should get retested for HIV because results don’t always show up immediately. But for now, I should go home and get back to my normal life.” So yes, she drank too much and wasn’t conscious or able to fend for herself but instead of being prompted to help, Turner was prompted to take advantage of the situation and the victim’s body.

It was no youthful mistake and deserves far more than a slap on the wrist and a light hearted “boys will be boys!” Aside from registering as a sex offender, Turner can put this incident behind him now, a task not so simple for the victim.

Rape is not the social norm and there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. There’s no skirt short enough and no drink strong enough to make up for a lack of consent regarding one’s body.  

The word no is enough.