Sunday, September 15, 2013
Leslie Kelly: In Montana, a case study in rape culture
Whether we clearly see it or not, we are living in a rape culture everyday in which we tell girls to be innocent but to have sexual appeal. To avoid being a frigid prude but heaven forbid, don't be a slut. That there are not clear boundaries that all people, including men, should respect. Recently in Montana, a 44-year-old teacher was accused of and admitted to the raping of 12-year-old Cherice Moralez. He was sentenced to thirty days in prison. Thirty days for bringing the horrors of overwhelming shaming to a young girl that drove her to shoot herself, all because, in the sightless eyes of the judge, what she experienced was not "this forcible beat-up rape." That's not quite the point, now is it? The point is that this man managed to manipulate a young girl into letting him ruin her life, and suffered just a handful of days in prison for it, when we all know that had she lived our society would never have stopped shaming Cherice. No matter how mature she might have seemed, she was still a child and deserved a full, happy life. Instead, she got this, and he got thirty days.
read the article here
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No one deserves to be treated in such a manner, and he most certainly SHOULDNT have only gotten thirty days, because im pretty sure the girls pain will long laster than that amount of time.
ReplyDeleteComment by Tyra Harris
ReplyDeleteThat judge should be ashamed of himself. "Not this forcible beat up rape" ?!! Unconsented sex = rape. Period. I find it disgusting and a slap in Cherie's face that the accused, who also admitted to the crime, was only sentenced to a month in prison. That judge should be fired and never allowed to practice in the court of law again. WOW America...just wow.
It's crazy how someone can get away with such thing. The poor girl will have that horrible memory for the rest of her life, also knowing that her attacker will be out and about shortly. This is really shocking.
ReplyDeleteKolina Hocevar
Only thirty days in prison? That's just enough days for him to plot what he's going to do to another under aged girl! This is crazy and ridiculous at the same time. The judge should be ashamed of him/herself and reconsider.
ReplyDeleteThey won't be satisfied until it happens many more times.
That's unbelievable. How can someone get sentenced to prison for only 30 days for a crime as serious as rape? I also feel really bad for the girl because this is going to cause her pain in many different ways for the rest of her life. I hope her family is planning on trying to get the man sentenced to more time in prison.
ReplyDeleteoh gosh, I just realized that I don't think I made this really important point clear- the poor thing killed herself just a few years later. and...what's almost worse is that we all know that even if she hadn't, this man's actions would've caused her misery for the rest of her life because rape culture tells us to blame the victims for being sluts. we give men excuses even when they're little, because "boys will be boys" but we also turn around and tell girls to be ladies according to their standards
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