My heart fell as I saw another story trickle into mainstream news. Another assault, another host of lives ruined, and of course, another case with the most guilty party granted complete amnesty.
I do not know Brock, nor his victim from that night. What we do know, however, is that Brock's blood-alcohol levels were double the legal driving limit that night. His victim's levels were triple the legal limit.
Has the whole world chosen sobriety, and forgotten what happens when intoxicated? It induces a state tantamount to a mental disorder.
Yes, alcohol did not sexually assault her. Alcohol merely silenced her. Same as it silenced that rational part off Brock's brain-- the part we all scream should have been better tended by his parents. When did silencing someones ability to express themselves, make good decisions, ever become acceptable?
By all means, teach your sons to respect women, control their thoughts, and live a life of modesty and virtue. But do not forget to teach them that excessive consumption of alcohol will inhibit their ability to act on what they've learned, and instead restore them to a base version of their human self that is unacceptable in a civilized society.
And to our daughters, teach them no such entitlement as to believe they may behave in whatever manner pleases them. Virtue is not defined by sexual activity alone, and the ability to uphold one's virtues is compromised with the excess consumption of alcohol.
So teach your son's that they are not entitled to a women's body, yes. But do not make the mistake of teaching your daughters that they are entitled to neglecting their bodies in the same breath.
As the vicitim aptly noted, "it is an unspoken progression." The unspoken messages began long before she (alledgly) agreed to go home with Brock.
The legal limit to driving exists for a reason-- people make poor choices when drunk. They are a danger to themselves, and to others. The victim did not deserve to be raped because of her decision to consume excessively. Nor would she have deserved to be hit while stumbling across a busy road, or suffer hypothermia for passing out in a cold bush somewhere.
