Brock Turner Case

Words: 1105
Pages: 5

The Search: The Human Quest for the Causes of Evil
Since the first massacre to the numerous modern day terrorism attacks, human beings have been trying to search for the root of all human evils. Ancient religions blamed perceived underworld deities for all catastrophes, while modern day psychologists blame one’s environment and previous experiences for evil doings. In the short story “What of this Goldfish, Would You Wish?” by Etgar Keret, psychologists would find evidence for the claim of environment being the cause of evil. Yet, in the infamous Stanford rape case, Brock Turner was acting on his own, using his own judgement. Through examining texts, both fictional and non-fiction, the root of human evil has proved itself to be one’s background
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The case caused much controversy, as Turner only received a total of six months jail time, a small punishment for a sinister crime. In the chilling court documents, Turner cites a “cocky attitude” and “misuse of alcohol” as his motives. (Turner 2015) Turner was a star Stanford swimmer who believed that he could get away with anything, and needed to prove that to himself and others. Unfortunately, the need for pride protection has proved to be a common motive for evil. Previously mentioned was the short story, The Overcoat. In this short story, a man named Akaky is ignored by a proud personage who believes he is above speaking to and helping Akaky. This man’s need to protect his own pride may not seem evil in the typical sense, but his ignorance of Akaky drives Akaky to his death. It can be inferred that the only reason the personage ignored Akaky was because he believed that speaking to Akaky would be detrimental to his own worth and status. This seemingly harmless led to the death of an innocent man, forever tainted by a stranger’s