Fox News' Liz Trotta commented the other day on the frequency with which U.S. military personnel are the victims of sexual assault. The on-air discussion did not go well.
Trotta was not only critical of new Pentagon rules to support those who've been attacked, but also argued that the attacks themselves are to be expected. "Well, what did they expect? These people are in close contact," she said.
As Media Matters noted, Trotta began by claiming "we have women once more, the feminist, going, wanting to be warriors and victims at the same time," adding that feminists "have also directed them, really, to spend a lot of money. They have sexual counselors all over the place, victims' advocates, sexual response coordinators.... [Y]ou have this whole bureaucracy upon bureaucracy being built up with all kinds of levels of people to support women in the military who are now being raped too much."
When Fox News anchor Eric Shawn said that "many would say that they need to be protected," Trotta was unmoved. "That's funny," she said, "I thought the mission of the Army, and the Navy, and four services was to defend and protect us, not the people who were fighting the war."
"Us," in this context, apparently doesn't include Americans who wear the uniform.
The host pressed further, noting, "Well, you certainly want the people fighting the war to be protected from anything that could be illegal." Trotta was still unsympathetic, responding, "Nice try, Eric."
It's hard to even comprehend such a twisted perspective. To hear this Fox News contributor tell it, American women in the armed forces should expect sexual assaults; American men in the armed forces are likely to become sexual predators; and the American military shouldn't bother to take any of this seriously.
That anyone would find such attitudes acceptable is just stunning.
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That anyone would find such attitudes acceptable is just stunning.
Even on Fox News. This is cave dweller mentality.
What do women who risk their lives to serve our country on the front lines expect?
They should expect to be raped for their service? They should expect to not receive support from the government when they are raped while serving our country? They should expect that, part of their service to our country involves being sexually asaulted?
I am sick about this! These women are heros-risking heir lives for us! Even if yo udo not believe they should be on the front lines-I can not imgine believing they should expect to be raped for their service.
Sick!
We have women who are risking their lives to defend our country-in a brave and noble effort-the same brave and noble effort that men provide.
No one "wants" to be a victim-but, if a woman is raped, she is a victim of rape. The blame is not on her because she made the brave choice to serve our counrty, the blame is on the rapist.
I am sickened when people blame the rape victim for what they are wearing-but to blame the victim because she is willing to risk her life to defend our country? Sick. Almost in tears!
This is the same network that upholds interviewees who claim gay children should be beaten or die for "choosing" to be gay.
Telling women who get raped that it's their own fault? Nothing new about that viewpoint from the FAUX network.
Speaking of which, don't most rapes either on military bases or in the field go unreported?
Attempting rape of your comrade in arms should be justifiable homicide. Let the offender's body lie where it fell for a couple of days. The current method of getting the word out is not working.
FOX news. Foxconn in China? Fox connection to jobs outsourced to slave camps in China? Nahh couldn't be that obvious.
This woman is beyond repulsive. I don't know how signing up for the military means that you agree to give up your legal rights as an individual.
The face of "conservatism" just keeps getting uglier and uglier.
Conservative = walking on all fours, "caveman" mentality!!
They are objects of rape and molestation yet we now have our congress supporting the non use of contraceptions. Get real, you bought and paid for congress people.
Naw, it was always Phantom-of-the-Opera ugly. It's just that since Obama was elected, they've felt free to rip off their mask and let us see their true face in all it's gory (not a typo).
You know brah, when you are right, you're right.
So, according to Liz Trotta, it's the "extreme feminists" fault that they are being raped. Not the rapists fault at all.
Methinks Liz Trotta is someone with whom nobody wants to be in close quarters. And by "close quarters," I mean "bed." Poor old woman - jealous that female soldiers who don't want to be raped are getting more attention from men than Liz gets.
It's my understanding that men are also raped in the military and was also included in the report she's refering to. Why did that not get mentioned?
Why is that important?
Yes, sexual assaults are up-no one isarguing that. It is the statement that women on the front lines shoud expect to be raped that is offensive-whatever the report says.
Because it didn't serve Liz's purpose at that moment. But I'm sure that if she were capable of forming more than one thought at a time, she would use that point to advocate for reinstatement of DADT - not that it would make any difference.
Fiona-My mistake-I misread your initial post as questioning why the MSN article did not include that information.
Dear Fiona,
The reason why "men" aren't mentioned is simple - G-d hates queers, and "real men" don't get raped!!
You know the GOP hates "the gay", it's like the Catholic church denying pedophilia, "it was just a few rouge Priests".....
Did anyone expect anything different from Fox news?
Actually, as low as I know Fox News can go, I would NOT expect ANY other woman to EVER say that a woman deserves to be raped. I wouldn't expect it from a man either, but most especially a woman. I think she has a screw loose.
Sure, but there are some conservative women I don't want to be included in our gender.
I don't know if they truly believe the anti-woman drivel they push or if they just say what will get them included in the GOP boy's club.
I've talked with women with this mentality and I feel like puking every time. People like to paint this nice little coccoon around women because we are so dainty and fragile. All throughout history women have defended, invaded, and established communities, towns and cities right alongside the men. They've done it for themselves, their children and their men. I truely hope that this woman does not have a daughter that is headstrong to join a military unit. There's nothing like facing a circumstance that one thinks is okay to really get the thought processes kicked into a more compassionate gear.
What do women who risk their lives to serve our country on the front lines expect?
They should expect to be raped for their service? They should expect to not receive support from the government when they are raped while serving our country? They should expect that, part of their service to our country involves being sexually asaulted?
I am sick about this! These women are heros-risking heir lives for us! Even if yo udo not believe they should be on the front lines-I can not imgine believing they should expect to be raped for their service.
Sick!
You want less military bureaucracy? Stop supporting wars. As long as wars are being fought, this is a necessary bureaucracy to fund.
The majority of rapes do not happen in combat situations or combat zones. They happen on liberty or on base. Whether we are at war or not women will still be at a higher risk than any other group for rape. Boredom, more often than anything else, is the driver of what causes rapes in the case of the US military.
Putting the more factual part of this aside, people do not realize that when they state 'well of course rapes will happen because of increased adrenaline associated w/ combat' that they are, in fact, justifying the rape. This is not what you meant to do @FreeAllThePeople, but it ends up being the net effect.
Oh My! is all I can say.........Well besides I want her fired!
LIZ A TROTTA (212) 734-7543 340 E. 66th St, New York, NY 10065. Is this a valid address? May rapists and assassins (her comment towards Obama, 2008), NOT show up at her doorstep as she wishes on others. Because unlike her, we have a conscience, and wouldn't wish such harm to someone as deranged as her. Is there a doctor in the house?
But for the mercy of God and my own good conscience would I not wish something like that on this she-cretin of epic proportions...
I'd like for her to make that same argument in a room full of women who serve in the armed forces... I want to think that our honorable forces would have the dignity to not stoop to her lowly level, but if Trotta were to have her ass handed back to her on a silver-plated platter, well, I wouldn't lose any sleep.
Yet another example of how "Fox" isn't news, but trash.
Right on! FOX, News is an oxymoron....
She blaming feminists for potential sexual assaults because they are in the military? Seriously? Liz Trotta should be ashamed of herself for even uttering those words! I don't think women serving in Iran or Afghanistan "expecting" sexual assault when their asses are on the front line, unlike Ms. Trotta whose utterances only make her sound like a complete dumb ass! When rock did she crawl out from under? Oh wait! What nice safe office did she crawl out from under? Spoken like someone who never put her ass on the line for anyone but herself. What an idiot!
Cat Cat,
Women's asses should not be on the front line to begin with! Me thinks that the number of consenting asses in the military has risen to the amount where men have come to the conclusion that this is the reason they joined! The word gets around.
Please don't give me that tripe about a woman having an innate desire to be a combatant to defend her country. It's all about the fanatical feminist folly.
Men have been fighting wars since the beginning of time. Did you ever wonder why? Men have always been willing to give up their lives for their families - the objects of their protection, namely; their wives, children and homes. This is the reason they go to war in the first place....not to take the women to war with them to be killed and their children left to die. Wake up and live sensibly!
One word. Amazons. Women who burned off one of their own breasts to improve their archery. Screw Army strong. Amazon strong is far scarier.
And if you want to argue that gays have no place in the military, then one of the greatest generals ever, Alexander the Great would be there to dispute you. And homosexuality was one of the core features of being a Spartan hoplite - special forces grade badasses featured in 300. Easily par with the best we have today.
its just more of the same old right wing "its the woman's own fault if she gets raped" mentality. Sorry Liz but your 18th century ideals don't belong here in the 21st century!!
I can't for the first time in my life I'm almost speechless. Can they fire people for being STUPID??????
I think they can, but if Fox News fired all of their stupid staff and contributors their studios would soon be empty. And then Murdoch would have to finish by firing himself.
Sounds like a goal to me! Such ignorance is not to be believed. The truth is women have to be on guard for potential victimization no matter what line of work they are in. There are always those who would take advantage, but a woman who would speak such rubbish is almost as shocking as that fact this happens anywhere. The idea that this was expressed on national tv is an abomination in every sense of the word.
That anyone would find such attitudes acceptable is just stunning.
And a woman, no less. Rotten, just rotten.
Oh My!..........what a crazy old bat, I want her FIRED!
If you want less military bureaucracy, stop supporting wars. Meanwhile, the fact of the matter right now is that this is a very necessary bureaucracy. If these idiots want war in Iran, they should be ready to accept more of this bureaucracy because America will need all the people around willing to fight the war, which won't be a whole lot of people.
Why isn't the President allowing women to fill any and all roles in the military or at least more? What is it, like 200,000 positions or more off limits to women? Why isn't this the story instead of what some dumb Fox News contributor thinks?
The military is cutting back, I believe. She's not just dumb, she's vicious, ignorant, and clearly, not all there.
Well red herring aside that is a good point. We need to have a debate about why do we feel that it's OK to discriminate against women and why we feel that this is OK for our US military. Women should be able to serve in any position/department that they want to and can serve in. I say 'can' here because just because you integrate, say, the Navy Seals, doesn't automatically mean that every woman who applies will be accepted into their ranks. They still have to meet the strict standards that we've put in place to make our Seals what they are, our Rangers, our Airbourne, etc. That doesn't change based on gender integration: it just means we allow women to try and if they make it we welcome them into those ranks.
Honestly there's a part of me that believes that if we had more women in positions of command and had more women integrated into departments of the military rape would go down. I personally believe that segregation is the biggest driver of discrimination. And once you enforce discrimination one of the side-effects will be assault (physical, emotional, etc).
I honestly could not finish reading this article. 'Disgusted' does not begin to describe what I think about these Fox 'analysts'.
The words and terms she uses to discuss this topic are carless and Disgusting. "What do they expect" ... obviously she has very low expectations of her fellow humans and fellow citizens. According to her we should expect our soldiers to Rape. This false justification of abhorrent behavior has been seen before with "honest Rape" a concoction of Ron Paul. Authoritarians always rationalize their methods of imposing their will.
The better part of me doesn't want to hear what Fox says; it's like looking at a car wreck. Their "news" and "commentary" are on the same level as those in the National Enquirer. They know, however, that anything that angers people will generate curiosity and ratings.
Give Fox News enough rope, eventually it will hang itself.
He should have asked Liz is she expected to be raped on the job?
That has "you really don't want to go there" all over it.
So grunt-on-grunt crime is ok. "Dude. If you didn't want your stuff stolen, you shouldn't have bought any stuff."
Great point tim
I served in the USAF in the 1980's. Under "St. Ronnie" as Commander-in-Chief, the military initiated a zero-tolerance sexual harrassment policy -- you could have your entire career ruined to the point of being thrown out of the service if it were proven that you were harassing a fellow servicemember, let alone the idea that someone should be able to get away with rape - or that women in the military "should expect it." Trotta must be a mentally-disturbed individual - why on earth would she seek to belittle and sneer at women who serve in the military?
Linder-2946183 is correct. It's all about ratings. when fox starts airing shows that give you plausible contradictions to liberal ideas then I'll start watching them too.
What did they expect? We all know men can't get through the day without raping someone.
Exactly the kind of stone-age thinking I've come to expect from Faux and the GOP.
Yeah that's the other thing that blows my mind. I guess men just really can't help keeping it in their pants and they naturally have no moral compass. Men are just these terrible, awful creatures who can't have any expectations or responsibilities put on them because that wouldn't be fair.
I said this once before: apparently these women want their men to be weak, helpless, amoral, sex fiends and not have any culpability whatsoever.
What I don't understand is how a man hears this argument and doesn't think to himself a. how sexist to women and then b. how sexist to me
Also doesn't this whole argument pretty much say that men can't be expected to serve their country because they are amoral, irresponsible, uncontrollable, sex fiends? I mean how exactly is her argument not testimony for why we should have an all female service? Honestly do these people think before they open their mouths?
Honestly do these people think before they open their mouths?
There's been little evidence of that so far ...