Response: Rape victims say military labels them ‘crazy’ (CNN)
I saw this article today on my twitter feed posted by PsychNews (https://twitter.com/#!/PsychNews). The US military and right win military supporters have been some of the best victim blamers out there so I wasn’t surprised to see that “crazy” would be the new “liar”. As I kept reading I began to feel offended, not just as a woman but as a “crazy” person. This article is just all types of offensive!
2010
Rape victims say military labels them ‘crazy’
First, how DARE you, military, find a way to shut up these women who have bravely wanted to serve their country and were then betrayed by their fellow male comrades in such a violating way as sexual assault!!! Is this a way to “encourage” women to get them out of the army? I have heard such influential people like Rick Santorum say that women shouldn’t be in the US military (Rick Santorum: Women in combat could create ‘compromising situation’ because of emotion) so it’s not a far cry for me to think this! I can think of no better way to tell a woman to fuck off than to deny her rape and punish HER for it and not her attacker!
Despite the Defense Department’s “zero tolerance” policy, there were 3,191 military sexual assaults reported in 2011. -CNN
Second, how DARE you use mental illness as excuse! I don’t even know if I could accurately put it into words why I’m angered by this but I’ll try. This is sort of when my anger towards this article turns from sexual assault to mental health. I’m offended that having a mental illness could be a reason to deny someone access into a job. While understanding the reasoning such as needing people who are fit to do the missions that need to be done (like killing people!) I don’t think it should be generalized to an entire population of people! this is especially when true when many leave amazing soldiers and veterans “normal” and come back “crazy”! It should be determined on a person-by-person basis if they would be fit to join the military. Technically by the standards of my “illness” I should not be a good worker, friend, partner, parent and overall person but I do excel in my relationships and self esteem! To blame mental illness is to make our lives (those with mental health issues) appear to be less than, something you can be penalized for and just as a plan old excuse…my life shouldn’t be an excuse!
From 2001 to 2010, the military discharged more than 31,000 service members because of personality disorder. -CNN
Third, the article continues to promote mental illness stigma by using the parts of the interview that has the women saying. “I’m not crazy…I’m relatively normal” and “I remember thinking this is absurd…I’m very clear of mind”. They then proceed to say that since these women were functional they clearly didn’t have a personality disorder. Way to draw the normal/crazy dichotomy!
I just hate the generalization! I know mental health directly isn’t the focus, the focus is ignoring sexual assaults, but I can’t help but notice this and be bothered by it. I’m tired of my life being the scapegoat, I’m tired of being underestimated and I’m completely tired of mental health stigma not being acknowledge! It’s so ingrained that we end up stigmatizing that population when we’re trying to draw attention to another stigmatizing problems! “I was sexually assaulted, I’m not crazy!” GAHHHHHH
EDUCATE!
The US military needs to smarten the hell up! You are the top line of defense your country has and you not only shit on your female employees by punishing them for being sexually assaulted but you shit on ALL American women when you deny the attacks of these women! Why should anyone feel safe around you? These “men” who are supposed to be serving their country with honor sexually assault their female comrades they are in fact a disgrace to the USA! DO NOT PROTECT THEM!
Stephanie Schroeder, Anna Moore, Jenny McClendon and Panayiota Bertzikis say they were raped and then discharged from the military.
Canada is not innocent in this either!
2007/2008: Canadians who witnessed Afghan forces sexually abuse young boys were told not to get involved and these incidents were never reported. (Sex abuse and silence exposed: DND brass told of rape of boys by Afghan allies, Don’t look, don’t tell troops told)
2010: A military judge sentenced ex-Corporal Alex Lough to 34-months in prison, unable to own or handle a gun for 10 years and had to register with the Canadian sex offender registry and provide a DNA sample after sexually assaulting two female cadets and a cadet instructor. (http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2011/11/25/Military judge sentences former CFB cold lake aviation tech for sex assault)
2011: Report finds that child sex abuses are higher in Canadian military than in the rest of the population (Report finds relatively high rate of sex abuse in Canada’s military)
2012: Former military medic faces numerous sexual assault charges that had taken place between 2002-2009 (Former military medic faces charges)
WTF is going on with the military!?!?!?!?! It’s not really a problem with the military, sexual assault and abuse is out there and it only makes statistical sense that it would pop up in the military, but I guess it’s the perception we carry of what the military is about, who joins vs who doesn’t, that shocks us. Those who are supposed to be our “finest” are doing the unspeakable!
I don’t know if I’m horribly biased but it seems like when it comes to its own soldiers Canada can react to sexual assaults unlike the USA who hides it. Canada is clearly failing in properly protecting civilians in the countries they are stationed in. It’s disgusting for me to think that my country’s military has allowed young children to be abused by their own police and army!
We clearly need a revamp as well!
Hey, Army people! Do your job and keep us and the world safe! You’re kinda failing right now!
Support those soldiers who conduct themselves with pride, dignity and believe in their role as a protector of freedoms and not just the freedoms of their own country but the freedoms and safety of those in other countries!
DO NOT ABUSE YOUR POWER!!!
Posted on April 15, 2012, in Also Important!, Articles/Video/Campaigns/Photos, Feminism, Madness, Mental Health, Stigma/Discrimination, The Facts and tagged abuses, Canadian military, discharge, mental health, mental illness, personality disorders, power, rape, sexual assault, US military, women, women in the military. Bookmark the permalink. 8 Comments.
If you stop to think about it, a significant underlying foundation to the military is justifiable harm to others. Women and children are killed as ‘necessary collateral damage.’ it is difficult to reconcile much military behavior without shifting the blame to other governments, terrorists, or in this case, crazy people.
Such violent behavior being trained and encouraged will have drastic side effects. Whether it is PTSD, a soldier killing 16 Afghan family members, or thousands of sexual assaults each year.
We simply were not created to behave as war machines of aggression.
At least…not in my opinion.
I totally agree with you! I was going to post a video along with this blog but thought it might have been too “radical” but one of the things that was said in it is that civilian deaths are just seen as a part of war which is wrong!
You are so right!
What kind of culture have we created where we not only attack women, but then we blame after? How sad and disgusting.
It makes my head spin….
Me too!
amazing article…
It’s horrible to read how women become the victim of rape -pretty high in the list of possibly life-wrecking events- and then get blamed for it too…
And I definitely share your point of view. Saying “you’re crazy because you “falsely” claim to have been raped” also implies people who are “crazy” do really make false claims like that. Even when you’re not reading the article in the frame of mental health issues, it’s another piece of disinformation that adds up to the already huge stigmatization of mental illnesses.
All right, this pisses me off. Thing is, it isn’t only women. I have a friend who dated this guy, WHO WAS PERFECTLY NORMAL, before he was raped by a fellow soldier. Then he was discharged, now he’s on drugs, and probably has 5 STDs. He was emotionally fine before he was raped. The army should have taken him out of combat afterwards, provided therapy, and helped him in any possible way, NOT DISHONORABLY DISCHARGE HIM. Do you know who has mental problems? How about the bloke who RAPED him?
Furthermore, if gays are allowed in combat, why not women? I recall always hearing that gay men weren’t allowed in combat because it could create problems, eg. a commanding officer not sending out his bf to the front lines when needed. That never explained gay women not being in combat. Now there is no excuse. Granted, I’m glad I have no risk of ever being drafted, but …
Ah, fuck it all. Thanks for raising my blood pressure and everything :p
Men’s experiences of sexual assault are completely overlooked and carry with it a whole new set of issues and stigmas! People who rape, men or women, are on a massive power trip for sure and their victims always need to be supported because they can very quickly spiral into a dark place due to an attack!
I feel like when I comes to Gay men serving in the military they may want to take him over a woman. i felt this way about when Hillary Clinton was running for President way back when against Obama. I had a feeling that the USA wasn’t “ready” for a female in a powerful position. The military may be the same? It’s also just a horrible attempt at bringing back tradition gender roles!
I hope your blood pressure is ok! I got all mad while I was writing this