Rape in the Military

Perhaps readers of this blog will recall the case of Vanessa Guillen. Guillen was a Pfc at Fort Hood in Texas. She was beaten to death by a fellow soldier after he found out she was filing sexual harassment charges against him.

The video above was included in an article in the Army Times. Initially, on reading the article I thought it was yet again an attempt by the state and its institutions to legislate decency, after all, I thought to myself, I don't need to be told it is inappropriate to ogle at a woman's breasts let alone touch them without permission.

But I think I came to that conclusion without enough thought and the movie helped me rethink it. The other thing is that the military is not a defensive force but an offensive one; no nation on earth can invade the United States, especially one like Iran. It was be suicidal. In order for young working class men and women to be sent in to conflicts that are predatory in nature and not in any way in their economic or social interests, they have to be convinced the enemy, an Iraqi, an Iranian and so forth, is a lesser human being.

It is common knowledge that the military is a haven for sexual predators and the culture of chauvinism and nationalistic/patriotic fervor, is fertile ground for racists and racial views to flourish. One can only guess at the opportunities for sexual assault and rape for some individuals in an invading western nation in the underdeveloped world.

The other important point to consider is the class structure of any military in class society. The officer ranks and the top brass are always from the upper middle or ruling class layers; workers cannot be trusted. It is working class people that die in these predatory conflicts for raw materials and markets.

The military as it is, an organ of class society will never eradicate sexist or racist behavior.