In These Times

Latest Comments view all 5

• • 14 Aug 08
  • 10:43 am

  As pornography becomes more and more violent (Gonzo) it is hard to believe that there is NOT a connection. I know that there is pornography being consumed in Iraq that is beyond "hypersexulized" images and into violent rape, incest and extrmeme domination. This pornography associates sexual release with violence and domination and we have a problem in our military with violence and domination. The military is NOT general society, if someone wants to consume whatever porn they want to they should not join the military. The military is an employer and has a responsability to maintain a work and living environment …

  Posted to Why Soldiers Rape

• • 15 Aug 08
  • 10:03 am

  Pornography often equates sexual release with rape and torture. There is your connection. If language can motivate how one thinks and acts than how can images not also have the same possibility? If you are interested or excited by it chances are you either will try to get someone to do it or you are so ashmed of it you will find unhealthy ways to enact it. Porn sets up POWER dynamics, teaches men they should get sex when, how and from whom they want, it makes women on demand. I believe some of the porn supporters are not very familiar …

  Posted to Why Soldiers Rape

• • 08 Sep 08
  • 9:47 am

  Phillip, you say: "When a drill instructor screams at a recruit that he is a “pussy” or “hits like a girl” he isn’t being a woman hater. He is, in fact, denigrating the recruits manhood." You miss the point that in order to denigrate his manhood he is using women to do so. These techniques make women seem as though they are less, and it is these exact type examples that NEED to be understood in order to stop sexual harrassment in the military. You are right to point out that example, but the next step is to honestly examine the …

  Posted to Why Soldiers Rape

• • 10 Sep 08
  • 11:44 am

  Thanks Phil for your comments. They are insightful for me. I think that is the problem: we read a press release and think things have changed. HOW do we KNOW they are recieving the training? What I am saying is that they ARE not recieving the training or they recieve it in a manner that it is presented as a joke (in a society where we are SO uncomfortable about sex these classes are gone through very quickly or with uncomfortable laughs or outright sexual harrasment where rape is treated as a joke). These things have not changed. I heard these …

  Posted to Why Soldiers Rape

• • 16 Sep 08
  • 3:03 pm

  joboost- It is the Mcdowell study that purports to find 60% of rape accusations as false. If anyone with half a brain actually looks at the Checklist used to make these findings (which it seems you have not seen) one would find the list having the stated desire to create a condition where "lying" is the 3/4 of the possible outcome. Anyone who truley wants to consider rape in the military will not even consider this study unless they are trying to demonstrate sexism and horid treatment. The list accumulates points based on questions answered by the rape victim. More than …

  Posted to Why Soldiers Rape