What do you think ladies? US Airforce Poster on sexual assault.

[Ichingcarpenter]

Isn't this blaming the victim? What if you missed doing one of the commands?


When Jennifer Stevens saw a poster in the women's restroom at the Ohio Air Force base where she works as a federal employee, she was outraged.
The poster was created by the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base sexual response coordinator. "Preventing Sexual Assault Is Everyone's Duty!" it read. "Avoid Becoming a Victim."

Stevens, a 10-year veteran of the armed forces and a battalion commander in the Ohio National Guard, told Business Insider that it reflects a key problem of the military's sexual assault saga — putting responsibility for being sexually assaulted on the victims.



Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/female-soldier-brilliantly-calls-out-military-for-blaming-victims-of-sexual-assault-2013-8#ixzz2b7M5hdGq

[TwilightGardener]

1. I don't know, I'm a female who doesn't think it's smart to disable oneself with chemicals

among strangers. Not just because of rape--men who are drunk/stoned and incapacitated get robbed and assaulted. Never a bad idea to keep control of your wits and your limbs, male or female, wherever you are.

[Bay Boy]

2. Is it different than...

...some jurisdictions that have laws against you leaving your car keys in your car?
No, no one should steal your car but you can make if more difficult for the criminal if you take your keys with you.

[Harmony Blue]

3. I don't like this because

this is something most women are aware of already. But most young men are not taught properly how to treat women with respect on the other hand.

[NuclearDem]

4. Exactly this. Most of the sexual assault training I received in the AF

Was about the responsibilities of women. There wasn't a whole lot about telling male airmen to think about the consequences of their actions, to respect their female counterparts, or be afraid of the legal consequences.

Nevermind that the military loves to shove rapes under the carpet.

[Ichingcarpenter]

5. Thanks that's how I took it

I found it patronizing from the brass.

i'm glad she protested.

[Harmony Blue]

7. It is the same on college campuses

where the focus is on informing women but not focused at all on boys/men attending college. There has to be a paradigm shift in my opinion.

[Brickbat]

6. It assumes and normalizes criminal behavior.

And no, I don't think rape will ever be completely eliminated. But many rapes can be prevented, and that takes educating the people who perpetrate them.

[bettyellen]

26. that is what is most offensive, I think. there shld be PSAs for men clarifying

what assault and rape are, and what the penalties are. It can be a crime of opportunity, and men should be reminded that it is not okay to pull a staggering, non-consenting person home. Way too many think it's okay.

[malthaussen]

8. I'm no lady...

... but when I was a young boy, my mother advised me to never get in a car with a stranger.

Was she blaming me? Or warning me I would be blamed? Or might it be she was concerned for my welfare?

I honestly don't get this. Blame is something that comes after the fact. We already know that our system, set up as it is, will do anything to discredit/humiliate/deny the humanity of a victim of rape. I would hazard to say that our culture tends to blame all victims to a greater or lesser degree, but most especially victims of sexual assault. But how does warning of a dangerous situation constitute blame? It only does if you are determined to have it that way.

To categorize this poster as "blame" is to append the implied injunction "If you don't observe these simple rules, you'll have only yourself to blame." Stipulate that this is the attitude of the US military towards rape victims -- it wouldn't surprise me -- nevertheless, is the converse argument that there should be no attempt to warn or advise personnel of possible dangers?

Well, when one's only tool is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a nail. When one is reasonably outraged over the "blame the victim" nature of our culture, everything starts to look like blame.

-- Mal

[Lars39]

15. Does the men's bathrooms have posters exhorting them to not rape?

Identifying what constitutes rape so that they don't commit it, or to report it if they see it or hear of it? Why is it always the women's responsibility to avoid rape, but never the men's obligation not to rape?

[Bay Boy]

16. I see no problem with posters in the men's room too

I'm just not sure that men inclined to rape will pay attention.

[MadrasT]

9. I think it's complete bullshit.

Because every woman in the world already knows all this and does all this.

It makes it the responsibility of women to NOT GET RAPED, instead of placing the onus on THE PEOPLE WHO RAPE.

Quintessential victim blaming.

Classic rape culture nonsense.

[ohheckyeah]

13. I don't disagree with the sentiment that this

puts the responsibility on women to not get raped, but I disagree that every woman in the world knows all this and does all this. I have a 52 year old friend who was stupid enough to let a man she met online come to her house. Her male roommate was all that stood between her and at best groping and at worst rape. She thought because she is a big woman she would be fine. She did something really stupid - but that doesn't mean she deserved to be raped. Sometimes even smart women who are in a bad place emotionally do risky things. Having said all of that, boys and men need to be taught how to treat women with respect.

[Warpy]

10. They're still putting the burden on women

They need to start putting it on the rapists, gropers, and other sexist pigs.

[Coyotl]

11. How about, "Thou shalt not rape."

On edit: It is tempting to add, "Thusly, thou shalt not be castrated." Maybe we need some deterrence!

[SheilaT]

12. And of course all this advice is going to be so useful

when a young lady in the military is in, say a combat zone, and needs to be able to go to use the latrine in the middle of the night.

This as is almost always the case, puts the onus on the woman to magically avoid being raped, regardless of the circumstances, rather than telling the men that the should not rape.

Got that guys? Females do not exist solely for your sexual pleasure. No, they don't.

There need to be a lot more serious punishments for rape. Perhaps starting with public castration. Maybe then men would start to get a clue about how serious the crime is.

[inspiraven]

14. did you see

the note she placed under the poster?


Right on! Actual helpful advice.

The sooner we stop acting like rape is just a rainstorm, and blaming victims for not having brought an umbrella, the better.
When we do, perhaps we can start offering some solid psych help for those disturbed people so desperate for power over that they violently turn on their fellow humans.

Also, OP, why did you just ask the 'ladies'? This human sickness is all our problem.

[KentuckyWoman]

32. wow really?

53% of sexual assault reports in the military are from men?

Hopefully women raising hell about this problem will help the men as well. The military brass who enabled and protected sexual assault I hope will be held accountable.

[petronius]

17. I'm not a woman, but I think that line about "...everyone's duty!" is extremely problematic

No, it is simply not the "duty" of a victim to prevent being attacked...

As far as victim-blaming in general, I think it's a little more complex. These 'risk-reduction' advice lists are fine, and generally good ideas, but they're not appropriate as primary (or secondary, or even tertiary...) strategies for 'prevention.' Prevention deals with perpetrators, and so many of these programs seem to skip right over that aspect. No matter the crime, individual people can use common sense to try and reduce their individual risk, and it's not victim-blaming to provide the advice in a general way, but providing the advice immediately after a crime or as the primary focus of prevention crosses into blaming.

It always pisses me off when my university sends out an announcement of a sexual assault report, and the immediate next line is a list of of these "Hey women, don't do X, Y, Z!" suggestions. No other announcement of a campus crime or tragedy - even a DUI death - seems to come with this sort of well-meaning but responsibility-transferring verbiage...

[Hekate]

18. What poster did they put in the men's rooms? I can think of a few choice bits of advice...

But my guess is that there is no such poster for men, and no warnings about consequences for them. Betcha the sexual assault response co-ordinator is not a woman, either.

[KittyWampus]

21. I see you beat me to it. But, yeah. What does the poster in the airmen's lav say?

[KittyWampus]

19. Is there a mirror one for airmen? "How Not To Victimize Women"?

[Nye Bevan]

20. I hate the warnings that banks put on ATM machines.

Don't flash your cash indeed. If that's not victim-blaming I don't know what is.

[NuclearDem]

22. This honestly doesn't deserve a response.

You do know the problem is that the USAF places all of the burden of rape prevention on women rather than on the men who commit the rapes, and the outrage here is because this is just so blatantly a symptom of that culture?

[forestpath]

23. Yes -blaming and putting the responsibility on the victim instead of the assaulter.

[Demoiselle]

24. It occurs to me that the "rules" on the sign could apply equally to men.

Assault (mugging, rape, etc.) is assault. I'd feel better if they had exactly the same sign in the men's room.

[Recursion]

27. Muggings have not been blamed on mugging victims for centuries as a means of social control

Rape is different that way.

[Spirochete]

25. What should it say?

"Don't worry - we'll tell all the guys not to rape, and that should take care of it"?

Problem I see with the poster, is it's a "Duh" kind of thing, with stuff that the ladies already know by heart. Too elementary, and therefore not that useful. Should have a couple tips on defending oneself, as well, IMO. The mens poster should have stuff about not allowing, tolerating and certainly not encouraging anyone to rape. Mentioning the penalties for rape couldn't hurt either. Mem who are going to rape won't care about the poster, but men who might otherwise look the other way, may take it to heart.

[libodem]

28. What would it hurt

Not to jog by yourself after dark, along the greenbelt. Why wouldn't you take your big dog, a girlfriend, some type of pepper spray, a loud noise maker, lock on your chastity belt, know some kick ass self defence, keep your head up, your eyes open, walk with confidence, and know how to kick them in the balls and cut their dicks off if they dare try and get that trouser weasel out.


Men ought to be afraid they might lose the offending appendage if the seek to use it as a weapon.


And duh, of course, tell the guys ----- DON'T RAPE. EVER.


Misuse it you lose it. Be afraid. Be very afraid!!!

[Liberal_in_LA]

29. unfortunately, so much sexual assault in the military, big signs needed to help women (& men)

protect themselves

[MotherPetrie]

30. K&R. You can do every one of those things and STILL get raped. Then what, geniuses?

[cherokeeprogressive]

31. What I'd like to see posted in every barracks and every male restroom in the military:

SEXUAL ABUSE GUIDELINES

NO means NO

MAYBE means NO

I DON'T KNOW means NO

A Drunk Person CANNOT SAY YES, EVER

YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED

Unreported Knowledge Of Sexual Abuse Of Any Kind Ends Your Career Immediately

Proven Sexual Abuse On Your Part Ends Your Career Immediately and Dishonorably

THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF HAS DECLARED A ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY FOR SEXUAL ABUSE. CONSIDER YOURSELF INFORMED.

If you do not understand any part of the above guidelines, TAKE YOUR QUESTIONS DIRECTLY TO YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER IMMEDIATELY.
--------

What's more, I don't think the poster in the OP normalizes any kind of behavior or makes women the victim. What I believe it does is acknowledges the fact that SOME men aren't worth the dull steel it would take to remove their genitals from their bodies, and that good people are NEVER safe from them.