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>the actual realities of dumping a bunch of 18-22 year olds together when a significant minority of them are from extremely dysfunctional backgrounds[...] This

>the actual realities of dumping a bunch of 18-22 year olds together when a significant minority of them are from extremely dysfunctional backgrounds[...] This is either really sad or maybe I'm just naive? Since when is the "reality" of putting 18-22 year olds together (dysfunctional background and high school completion or not) sexual assault? I remember being 18-22, coming from a fairly dysfunctional background, and yet I managed to never sexually assault anyone. Even when I was in co-ed housing!

JohnMakin 2y ago
[flagged]
- ziddoap 2y ago
  I wasn't attempting to prove or disprove anything. It's a comment.
- pknomad 2y ago
  It's also unfair to lump all 18-22 year olds from dysfunction background as potential sexual predators.
  - rexpop 2y ago
    "Predation" isn't necessary to precipitate sexual assault, only sexual, social, or emotional dysfunction.
- seneca 2y ago
  This sort of rude snark really degrades the conversation.
  - JohnMakin 2y ago
    It’s not meant to be rude - but the parent comment doesn’t do much either
mc32 2y ago
It’s not like large numbers of newly enlisteds are doing crime. It’s a small percentage, it’s just not zero. It’s above zero enough that it’s a problem; however, it’s not like all the enlisteds are hooligans.
michaelt 2y ago
Honestly I think a lot of people find it reassuring to think of marines and frontline infantry as being a bit murderous. Men with enough crazy to charge a machine gun emplacement or storm a beach. A force our enemies live in fear of, the biggest bullies on the playground but on our side. If you think some of our armed forces have that character, would you expect them to be restrained and orderly when not on the battlefield? Personally I doubt the Hollywood image of boot camp troops chanting “what makes the grass grow? blood blood blood” is true - I prefer to think our troops are in fact very orderly and restrained.
- rectang 2y ago
  So are all the high-ranking officers who excuse away and hide sexual assault doing it because they are "a bit murderous"? It's tragic that many soldiers are deeply negatively affected by what we ask of them, but that's unrelated to the sexual assault enforcement crisis.
collingreen 2y ago
I also never sexually assaulted anyone in college and neither did anyone in my friend group. And yet! There were lots of sexual assaults on campus. It's possible for a small number of people to commit horrible acts without it requiring everyone to commit them or even see them happening. Turning a blind eye to this or other similar problems (like stalking or catcalling or racial profiling or discrimination) doesn't help change the world for the better. I'm glad you did the decent thing in college - some folks don't and the consequences for the victims are severe. I suggest we try, as a group, to ensure fewer and fewer sexual assaults happen like this and I think a critical part is recognizing that there are behavior patterns and statistics we can be informed by.
- ziddoap 2y ago
  I obviously must have written my original comment in a way that was easy to misinterpret, or people are just super focused on the throwaway portion of my comment at the end, not the middle, which is what I intended to be the important part. I was questioning the parent saying that the reality of putting 18-22 year olds together automatically equals sexual assault. As if the default behavior of 18-22 year olds is sexual assault. If we treat sexual assault as just the default behavior of 18-22 year olds, we are never going to address the problem. They basically are saying "boys will be boys", and I don't think that is okay. I never once thought, or wanted my comment to be interpreted as sexual assault not existing. I'm kind of flabbergasted that I have to say it that explicitly.

JohnMakin 2y ago

[flagged]

ziddoap 2y ago
I wasn't attempting to prove or disprove anything. It's a comment.
pknomad 2y ago
It's also unfair to lump all 18-22 year olds from dysfunction background as potential sexual predators.
- rexpop 2y ago
  "Predation" isn't necessary to precipitate sexual assault, only sexual, social, or emotional dysfunction.
seneca 2y ago
This sort of rude snark really degrades the conversation.
- JohnMakin 2y ago
  It’s not meant to be rude - but the parent comment doesn’t do much either

mc32 2y ago

It’s not like large numbers of newly enlisteds are doing crime. It’s a small percentage, it’s just not zero. It’s above zero enough that it’s a problem; however, it’s not like all the enlisteds are hooligans.

michaelt 2y ago

Honestly I think a lot of people find it reassuring to think of marines and frontline infantry as being a bit murderous. Men with enough crazy to charge a machine gun emplacement or storm a beach. A force our enemies live in fear of, the biggest bullies on the playground but on our side. If you think some of our armed forces have that character, would you expect them to be restrained and orderly when not on the battlefield? Personally I doubt the Hollywood image of boot camp troops chanting “what makes the grass grow? blood blood blood” is true - I prefer to think our troops are in fact very orderly and restrained.

rectang 2y ago
So are all the high-ranking officers who excuse away and hide sexual assault doing it because they are "a bit murderous"? It's tragic that many soldiers are deeply negatively affected by what we ask of them, but that's unrelated to the sexual assault enforcement crisis.

collingreen 2y ago

I also never sexually assaulted anyone in college and neither did anyone in my friend group. And yet! There were lots of sexual assaults on campus. It's possible for a small number of people to commit horrible acts without it requiring everyone to commit them or even see them happening. Turning a blind eye to this or other similar problems (like stalking or catcalling or racial profiling or discrimination) doesn't help change the world for the better. I'm glad you did the decent thing in college - some folks don't and the consequences for the victims are severe. I suggest we try, as a group, to ensure fewer and fewer sexual assaults happen like this and I think a critical part is recognizing that there are behavior patterns and statistics we can be informed by.

ziddoap 2y ago
I obviously must have written my original comment in a way that was easy to misinterpret, or people are just super focused on the throwaway portion of my comment at the end, not the middle, which is what I intended to be the important part. I was questioning the parent saying that the reality of putting 18-22 year olds together automatically equals sexual assault. As if the default behavior of 18-22 year olds is sexual assault. If we treat sexual assault as just the default behavior of 18-22 year olds, we are never going to address the problem. They basically are saying "boys will be boys", and I don't think that is okay. I never once thought, or wanted my comment to be interpreted as sexual assault not existing. I'm kind of flabbergasted that I have to say it that explicitly.