By Brianna Spause
Staff Writer
In an appearance on Fox News on Feb. 12, guest Liz Trotta made an extremely controversial statement regarding the sexual assault reports of women on the front line in the military and how feminists are attempting to rally their support.
“I think they have actually discovered there is a difference between men and women. And the sexual abuse report says that there has been, since 2006, a 64% increase in violent sexual assaults. Now, what did they expect? These people are in close contact, the whole airing of this issue has never been done by Congress, its strictly been a question of pressure from the feminists.”
Upon being given a chance to explain her statement, Trotta on Feb. 19 did not ease the minds of uproarious feminists, but rather condemned herself further by criticizing the efforts of the Department of Defense to control the issue.
“The political correctness infecting the Pentagon has resulted in silly and dishonest fairytales about female heroism,” Trotta said.
Through her controversial statements, Trotta made an example of herself, and example of what not to do. As a public figure, she has neglected her responsibility to present the news in a factual kind of way.
“I think newscasters should present an unbiased opinion of what is going on in the world so that the public can form their own opinion,” Junior, Kierceton Keller said. Although not a newscaster, but rather an “expert opinion,” Trotta still holds the same responsibility to be neutral.
The subject of rape is controversial in itself, without the aid of an over-opinionated newscaster. Trotta not only neglected her responsibility to be neutral, but also the responsibility to distinguish right from wrong, saying women should expect to be raped indicates that sexual assault is normal, or acceptable. Just because the crime has increased over the past six years does not make the information acceptable to mock.
However, this startling statistic was misunderstood. In the April 3 Newsweek article, “The Military’s Secret Shame”, over 50,000 male veterans screened positive for military sexual abuse. The reported abuses totaled 30,000 more than in 2003.
Not only have the numbers of assaults of women increased, but so have that of men. As the force that is sent out to protect our country, there is a certain kind of honor that is associated with military forces. By presenting the statistics in a rather inappropriate fashion, Trotta has only added to the humility of the situation.
The Department of Defense has been established in military camps in order to protect the men and women kept in close contact. Trotta made yet another comment, attacking efforts by feminists to create a program to subdue the violence. “The feminists have also directed them, really, to spend a lot of money,” Trotta said.
“The Pentagon rightly recognizes that the protections for our service members must improve and that sexual assault within the ranks must not be tolerated,” Massachusetts State’s Democratic Representative, Niki Tsongas said in an article with MediaMatters.
Public opinion has proved to be in agreement with Tsongas, as shown by the uproar of disagreement formed by many. Women should not be blamed for being raped as an excuse to not allow them to fight on the front line in battle.
When someone makes the intense commitment to the armed forces, they are sacrificing their time, and should be honored for their loyalty to our country. Although refuted by some, like Trotta, such a loyalty should be recognized, and every attempt made to protect the men and women who serve the United States.
