How many times will we have to make some idiot politician, apologize for their idiot remarks regarding females in the military and MST or Military Sexual Trauma?
Normally I would be all for, giving them the opportunity to apologize, as a first step towards correcting their talking points, and hopefully their point of view, but that time has passed.
I am going to paint some pictures here, to help people understand why Sessions and Chambliss and others are idiots. So I guess I should put a little warning out there:
TRIGGER!
And Warning!
Sarcasm, Snark, and Gallows Humor
I hate to have to do this, but TEH STOOPID BURNS, and so this, is my way to counteracting it, as much as I am able. I might not be important enough to penetrate TEH STOOPID. I may just be preaching to the choir. But maybe, I might open up some perspectives for you, that you hadn't thought of before, and get the conversation going in a more fruitful direction.
When the word RAPE is thrown about, no one wants to think of themselves as a rapist, or a rape apologist, or a supporter or enabler of rapists. And I would say, unless your name rhymes with Flush Bimbaugh, you probably won't be embracing the notion of supporting or enabling Sexual Harassment either.
Most people who imagine [note descriptive] themselves normal, do not imagine themselves to be of this sort of perversion. They probably avoid other labels too like Sexual Harassment, and Gender Discrimination and Misogyny.
The problem we have here, is that due to imbedded religious beliefs about women and proper feminine comportment, there exists an enormous gap between what some people imagine and what those same people do in reality. It's exceedingly difficult for men to imagine what it's like to be a woman, esp in a the service, and more difficult still to imagine how crippling and demoralizing constant, systematic sexual harassment and gender discrimination is to a career and a psyche, so you know that they cannot even mentally comprehend what rape means in the civilian world, much less in military culture.
They really want to do right most of the time, maybe they even imagine that they are doing right, but in their ignorance, they perpetuate some of the harmful stereotypes and mentalities about women, and rape, and gender discrimination, and sexual harassment. And then there are these authority figures who don't care, except to throw women and women's rights under the bus for votes.
One legislator said that Males are hormonal idiots at a certain age, and that we as a culture, may not be able to reign in raping and groping horndogs, because this is natural normal behavior that cannot be sequestered or mitigated. [translation: Boys will be rapists/boys].
Another Blamed this ongoing culture of rape and harassment in the military on the "pervasive Hookup culture." [translation: the sinful carnality of females is the underlying cause]. Why does it have to be women's faults? Because apparently there were no semi-anonymous hookups in the military prior to female integration! [And if you believe that I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn!]
Another stated that many women raped in the service, were often already survivors of previous rapes--and this somehow explained why they were more likely to be raped while in the service [connotation--that's it's okay somehow or acceptable--come on, they are used to it]!
So lets take this to a logical conclusion, all the way to the end.
1. Basically it's okay for male service members to rape, because they cannot help themselves. It's hormonally driven. PMS? Well that's for ___.
2. It's not okay to violate the UCMJ--that's Uniform Code of Military Justice, when committing theft, it's not okay to disobey a lawful order, but according to Chambliss and Sessions, --Artical 120, that clause about rape is less than a law, and more of a guideline. That makes rape prosecution a popularity contest. If the alleged rapist is popular, then he might go free. If not, then this is something big we can nail him with, to the wall. Notice though, that the outcome has nothing to do with the crime at hand, and everything to do with his prior standing in a command. The same is also true of the female, which brings us to rule #3.
3. If a female is perceived to have a sexual history, meaning that they have done the following: Had a one or more night stand(s), had a premarital or extra marital sexual liaison, is perceived or believed to be slutty, easy, or uppity, or manly, then it's okay to rape them and blame them for the rape, because of the nature of their improper and unfeminine behavior. If you feel uncomfortable with actually raping such a female, you can opt to completely destroy their life and career by creating a hostile living and work environment via sexual harassment and gender discrimination. Nothing says, "I hate you Bitch" like making one lone female the butt of every sexual innuendo, or stalking her, or finding other creative ways to drive her out of her mind for an entire enlistment or deployment. And if you do it right, this will follow her around for as long as she is in the military.
4. If a female is caught going to the bathroom alone or in groups that are insufficient--read small, then by the law of male hormones, you are allowed to lie in wait for her or them, as an individual or a group, and grope or rape them. This is popular in the war zones. Women died of dehydration in their own camps, because they denied themselves the necessary liquids to stay hydrated while in the desert, in order to avoid being [gang] raped while on their way to the latrine. Where the non-Raping males were at this time to stop this? Who knows. Out of sight, out of mind, because we all know a woman cannot actually be a battle-buddy, so it's important not to expend too much energy protecting her from rapists in uniform.
5. If you are a commander, and a rape case comes up under your command, if you know this female is a slut or a cheater, or a drinker or a survivor of other rapes prior to her military service, then it's okay to shove her complaints under the rug. After all, she is obviously broken, so why waste a perfectly good [male] soldier's career on a broken slut like that. All that training down the tubes, and besides, you like him better, he doesn't menstruate, or make you uncomfortable at the annual Christmas Party, by looking attractive in civilian clothes.
Why are these rules--this way?
Because in male-world, many males cannot or refuse to distinguish between rape and sex. Rape to them is just another kind of sex. So if you are a female and you have had sex at some point, then rape shouldn't be that traumatic, because you know what happens, no biggie. If you could prove you were a virgin--then rape would be an awful surprise--but an experienced gal like you has it covered!
AND!
If you weren't "actually" raped, but just harassed, well you really have nothing to complain about. It could have been so much worse. Besides that dude stalking you, with his buddies making obscene gestures etc., it was only a joke that lasted for 18 months, I don't know what you are getting all upset about. Like that stray pitbull in your neighborhood that growls at you whenever you get your mail, as long as you don't run from him or make direct eye contact--you should be fine. No harm, no foul!
Like I said, "Teh Stoopid! It Burns!"
Which brings me to some of the things I have observed.
In male-world, anyone who challenges the pack, must be hazed and proven worthy. Enter sexual harassment. The only problem is, the pack cannot agree whether or not to let you in, even if you survive the sexual harassment-hazing. So it goes on indefinitely. You can never prove yourself to tough enough, strong enough, skilled enough, loyal enough or good enough to be considered their equal. So the normal period of being tried or hazed, goes on forever until you are ground into nothing and half crazed to boot. Group acceptance is always unanimous, and that consensus is never reached in most commands because of a high rate of transfers. And most males will not challenge other males, that undermines pack dynamics, so it sucks to be you girly. You are the bottom rung until everyone can agree simultaneously that you have earned your keep and paid your dues. The only way to circumvent this, is to find someone in that pack to sleep with and/or marry.
The irony is that males purport to hate women who achieve any kind of status on their backs, and yet create dynamics in the workplace, that sometimes make that the only way to find some peace. BTW, you don't have to do this, and even if you do, it still probably will not work. You are basically damned if you do and damned if you don't.
Short of you charging a machine gun nest and rescuing a Navy Seal--there isn't much you can do that will prove you are an asset to this bunch. At least that is what it looks like from here, with all the rapes and the harassment and what-not.
Or better yet--to make this stop, you can always find some regulation to violate or law to break, and then use that to get out. Yea, that's what you should do. Fall on your professional sword to save your psyche! DUH! Can we say Hostile Working Environment? What would you do for a Klondike bar?
But you know Sessions and Chambliss are okay with all of this. In their world, these sorts of scenarios are acceptable; they have made that abundantly clear in word and deed. What they are really saying, to all you males out there who never wanted to be in the military:
Kick Women Out and Bring Back the Draft, because everyone knows:
6. "There are only three kinds of female the men let you be in the military: a bitch, a ho or a dyke. (qtd by Digital Journal) This is a golden oldie. It was popular back in my time, and it is still floating around today.
Because it is women--i.e., Bitches, Dykes and Hos-- who ensure that we have the numbers sufficient, to maintain an all volunteer force, even in a time of two simultaneous wars. But you have to ask yourself--Is it worth it? Letting those [Insert female derogratory term here] in, and feeling superior? Throw them out on their ear and bring back the draft, so we can do away with all pretense that women are equal citizens, who contribute equally to the security and leadership of this country. And then our service members can re-enshrine raping overseas, just like they used to in the old days.
When we allowed women to fully integrate, we reversed something important. In the past, our male service members often perceived the women of other countries to be whores and sluts.
"The GIs had a preconception of France as -- as one journalist put -- a gigantic brothel," said Roberts. "And in fact Hitler also called France the brothel of Europe." (qtd by CBS)
But when we integrated the forces to such a degree, we in fact, turned our own military into a giant sexual toilet. Was it women who did this? Or was it that placing women in the service drew this mentality out into the open, where it was readily visible, here at home? And what Chambliss and Sessions and others are saying is-
-well if that's how you want it then, okay, but don't expect any help on our end, to clear this up. If you are female and you join the US Military, then you should expect to be raped at some point by a male counterpart. It simply comes with the territory.
Maybe the DoD should put it in the contract! Make the recruiters recite rape and harassment statistics to female recruits. Isn't there a law about misrepresenting military life to new recruits in order to fill a quota?
Now, with my skewed perceptions--as a female, I am unaware of any place on the planet, that should ever be considered a gigantic brothel, that men should use like a sexual toilet. Not one place, not in the service or outside of the service. No matter where you go, irregardless of their beliefs, their practices, whether they wave at us as liberators or hate us as invaders, women all over the world, and girls too, are human beings with an innate right to choose their own time and their own season, and this choice should be without fear of reprisal, harassment or violence, AND her choices should be made in the absence of coercion.
But that is just my hysterical uterus talking. I really should STFU and let the grown--er, I mean "males," do the talking and stop worrying my pretty little head over such things. To me the horror is, that this mentality that female American service members are dealing with currently, has been a cultural issue in every era, including WWII, but this evil has been completely and utterly turned on us, American female service members.
How many WACs were raped I wonder? Civilian Test Pilots? Nurses? USO employees? Wives on Posts, local nationals in every theater, during that era? Because sadly, our laws regarding rape have gotten better [shocking I know] and they still aren't all that great. So imagine being female in this time, and wearing a uniform--and being groped or raped or harassed--if you can't really tell anyone now--who could you tell back then in the 30s and 40s?
I have been told by others [male and female] that rape wasn't an issue back then, because the men---the people were different back then. Males weren't rutting animals and females weren't as slutty, so it simply did not happen, especially not in the service!
And what Chambliss and Sessions and others want--is to return to that golden, bygone era, when women were virgin wannabe brides, and men were stalwart boyscouts. Until that happens, which BTW has to start with the women, de-sluttifying themselves, and not being so uppity and challenging to the males and their status quo.
So no, I don't want an apology from these jerks. I just want them to find a way, to stop being such ignorant, insufferable fuckbuckets.
How's that for uppity?
John McCain got it, and he is saddled with the same political disadvantage, being a Republican and all:
"At its core, this is an issue of defending basic human rights," McCain, a veteran, told the long table of military brass. "We have to ask ourselves, if left uncorrected, what effect will this have? (qtd by Huffpo)"
So much is crammed into this one sentence.
At its core, this is an issue of defending basic human rights
Did John McCain just call women Human? And suggest that we are entitled to Human Rights?
And further more---
"We have to ask ourselves, if left uncorrected, what effect will this have?
Did he just peer far off, into the future, employing forward thinking?
BLASPHEMY!
In all seriousness,
Would you want the Latrine Rape-Gangs here in the states, carousing in town with your daughters or sisters, unknown, unreported, and on the loose? Or better yet, "rescuing" your little girl, your wife or sister, any women after natural disasters here in the states? Because I am sure you know that they will ONLY rape military women, because it's the uniform that causes them to rape and not some other deep seeded psychological pathology.
Or maybe they only rape because they are in a war--that seems to be a popular myth floating around. People think that war causes normal people to temporarily become rapists. I say, that war makes a perfect cover for people who are already rapists.
A rapist in war, is hoping that the chaos is so thick, that no one will see, or better yet bother with a piddly crime like rape. Can't you see that bullets are flying?
So no, I don't want an apology. Apologies at this very late day and age are simply meaningless words. I want concrete action.
I just want it to stop.
The Big Brass have made it abundantly clear for DECADES--that they are incapable of trying these cases, of protecting harassment and rape survivors, and of treating them equitably. So removing that power from the chain of command is necessary, since most if not all commands seem incapable of wielding that power. Many of us have been screaming this for years too.
Words mean so very little when they are contradicted by tangible actions.
Saying you are not a rapist or not pro-rape, while allowing rapes and other sexually charged crimes to occur with impunity tell me all I need to know.
Don't be alone with Chambliss or Sessions. Don't turn your back on them. No Beer Summits with them. They think that this is perfectly acceptable behavior for America's Military males [I would have used the phrase Fighting Men--but I hate to saddle the good men I know with that]. In fact, these acts seem to be in large part, how Chambliss and Sessions define "Manhood," which is some pretty twisted stuff.
A woman who signs up to protect her country is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier, than to be killed by enemy fire. Jane Hartman qtd by Truthout.
That is because war is not a continuous issue in the military, but rape is. Even when women were not directly in the service, there were always female targets available on the post and in surrounding towns, whether that be here in America or overseas in some giant imagined "brothel-toilet."
One thing that concerns me is this growing public consensus that rape and harassment primarily happens in war zones. That is total and utter bullshit. Don't be ignoring what is a cultural pervasiveness that transcends war in the military. You will be disrespecting a lot of females who put up with amazing bullshit while in the service during peacetime or outside of war zones. War doesn't make a rapist. Uniforms don't make a rapist. Criminality makes a rapist.
So men--whether you were or are in the service or not, if this pisses you off too, be sure speak up, frequently, and loudly.
Women's sexuality isn't the issue.
Men's sexuality isn't the issue.
The issue is that some people, a criminal element, that was not screened out, refuses to respect individual female autonomy, and that includes ignoring the meaning of the word, NO! And this is compounded by another issue--an institutional discriminatory practice, that creates a sexual caste system for females based on religious values--quite unthinking and deeply imbedded.
Ultimately McCain nailed it. It's about the refusal to not only see women as equals, but as humans. Non-Humans do not have rights. They cannot be professionals or equals, or partners. They are things, objects to be used and discarded. And all a woman has to do is provide the perfect excuse to a male,to employ the objectification mentality [refer to rule # 6], and apparently it's practically legal. Just ask Sessions or Chambliss.
Sun Jun 16, 2013 at 8:53 AM PT: I found this story today on CNN: Sexual Assault Scandals Affect Military Recruitment http://www.cnn.com/...
A daughter seeks to serve just like her parents did, and learns her mother was gang raped in the military in 1985.
Mon Jun 17, 2013 at 6:55 AM PT: Dear males--if you wait until a female is intoxicated to the point of blacking out, or if you put something in her drink to make her unconscious, then you know the answer is already NO and that makes you a rapist.
It's not a joke, and no one is laughing.
http://www.cbsnews.com/...
The inability to consent, isn't the same as [implied] consent.