Today at work, we were forced to watch "The Invisible War" as part of our annual mandatory sexual harassment training. For those who don't know, The Invisible War tackles the problem of sexual assault in the US military and features several victims who were raped while serving
As I sat through this, I remember thinking (besides the fact that it was long and boring) that it was rather one sided, and intentionally trying to provoke an emotional response from people. Towards the end, it shows the victims trying to sue Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates, and states that the court dismissed the case based on the grounds that "Rape is an occupational hazard of serving in the US Military"...At this point I heard many audible gasps.
So after the movie, we had an open discussion. Everyone who spoke was quite emotional and many expressed outrage. They were shocked...shocked at what they had just seen...But I was skeptical.
Afterwards, I did some research. I found that among other inaccuracies , the whole "occupational hazard" quote was complete bullshit. The court actually dismissed the lawsuit because military members cannot sue the military in civilian court.
Now I'm not saying that rape isn't a problem..because it is. I despise it and anyone who would do it. .. However what really bothered me most about the whole thing was that everyone seemed to accept everything that was presented without really ever asking themselves "Is this information correct?"
Rape is a complicated issue. Its always one person's word against the others..... It has been around since the beginning of time and most likely will continue to be.. However films like this won't solve the problem. Instead it just emotionally charges the issue. The film's solution seems to call for more aggressive prosecution of accused rapists in the military....but it doesn't really address the fact that it would also lead to more people who are falsely accused of rape, and that is dangerous.
As I sat through this, I remember thinking (besides the fact that it was long and boring) that it was rather one sided, and intentionally trying to provoke an emotional response from people. Towards the end, it shows the victims trying to sue Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates, and states that the court dismissed the case based on the grounds that "Rape is an occupational hazard of serving in the US Military"...At this point I heard many audible gasps.
So after the movie, we had an open discussion. Everyone who spoke was quite emotional and many expressed outrage. They were shocked...shocked at what they had just seen...But I was skeptical.
Afterwards, I did some research. I found that among other inaccuracies , the whole "occupational hazard" quote was complete bullshit. The court actually dismissed the lawsuit because military members cannot sue the military in civilian court.
Now I'm not saying that rape isn't a problem..because it is. I despise it and anyone who would do it. .. However what really bothered me most about the whole thing was that everyone seemed to accept everything that was presented without really ever asking themselves "Is this information correct?"
Rape is a complicated issue. Its always one person's word against the others..... It has been around since the beginning of time and most likely will continue to be.. However films like this won't solve the problem. Instead it just emotionally charges the issue. The film's solution seems to call for more aggressive prosecution of accused rapists in the military....but it doesn't really address the fact that it would also lead to more people who are falsely accused of rape, and that is dangerous.