When the Marines are admonished to fix their supposed “toxic masculinity” problems, you can tell that exceptionally dumb ideas are being circulated. Not only are those ideas stupid, but they are dangerous on a number of levels.
On May 12, the US Marine Corps launched its first commercial with a female lead, part of a broad effort to persuade more women to join the service.
The ad, titled “Battle Up,” was meant to let women know they’re welcome in the Marine Corps. But it also inadvertently refocused attention on the service’s well-earned reputation for being a fraternity that often marginalizes or mistreats female troops.
The commercial dredged up memories of last March’s “Marines United” scandal, where male Marines shared photos of naked female Marines, veterans, and other women on Facebook without their consent. Around thirty Marines face courts-martial for their involvement in the group.
What these Marines did is wrong, and they should face the consequences of their actions. But we are talking about 30 Marines.
Before we are castigated for minimizing this offense, it should be stated that it doesn’t matter whether the number was three, or three thousand, it was wrong and the Corps needs to deal with these offenders.
But to use this incident as a spring-board for attacking the Corps for its aggressively masculine approach to fighting infantry battles is dangerous. The change that Vox advocates ignores reality.
That change comes at a vital time. Marines already have been asked to fight overseas during the Trump administration, and if men and women in the service distrust one another, it’s going to make their high-stakes deployments even harder. (Right now, Marines are firing weaponry at ISIS in Syria and deploying into “hot spots” in Iraq.)
So before the Marine Corps can most effectively help maintain order in the world, it needs to maintain order among its own ranks. Perhaps more fundamentally, the Marine Corps needs to find its identity in an age when the Pentagon’s top civilian and military officials say women should be treated the same as men across the services.
This article is nonsense on a number of levels as this former female Army soldier points out.
I'm an ex-Army woman. This article is hysterical bullshit @voxdotcom. Marines were https://t.co/2PFJHo4Cz0
— Lisa Lisa (@prolifemom123) May 29, 2017
Where they get their priorities mixed up is when they advocate for changing the Corps’ culture to be less of what might be called “alpha male.” We can assure Vox that potential enemies will not reciprocate, but will rather jump at any advantage offered. Marines’ lives are at stake in this discussion, not to mention the success of any mission they are sent on. Nothing must be done to weaken the ability of the Corps to accomplish those missions.
And there is another point that needs to be made.
If Vox is upset about sharing nude photos, what will they say when these front-line female warriors are captured? You know what will happen to them, and being photographed naked is going to be the least of the atrocities inflicted on these women. Wait until the photos of young female Marines being gang-raped in POW camps hit the internet.
Most notably that problem plays out via sexual harassment. In an article for Vox, one female Marine wrote that she carried knives with her for protection while walking to the base’s showers.
One female Marine.
Sexual harassment is real and needs to be punished. Women have every right to expect to be treated with respect. But changing the “culture” of the Corps is not the answer. At least not if you want a battle-proven force that is rightly feared by opponents.
In September 2015, Gen. Joseph Dunford was the top Marine, and he recommended women be excluded from some of those combat roles. (Dunford is now the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.) Mattis, before he was nominated to be defense secretary, questioned whether women should join the infantry.
Both of these men are correct. Women should be kept out of the infantry.
As for Vox? Here’s the best summary we’ve found:
Vox has a "beta male staff writer" problem https://t.co/38eLDYskVK
— Charlie Nash (@MrNashington) May 29, 2017
Source: Vox
They are supposed to be tough men and women. What do u want a bunch of snowflakes to defend our country.
That’s the media
The last thing we need is a sissy Marine Corps. Quit trying to change our culture.
After a eight years of a barack hussein obama’s toxic estrogen, you can see how liberals are confused.
Hold the battle for a minute, I’ve got to change my rag!! This is the worst decision Obama’s presidency ever made – beside muslims and transgenders and queers..
Good for the MARINES…… America as a whole needs more of this
I certainly hope there is a masculinity problem in the Marines and the rest of the military.
Lefts are loosers
Cast you out in the name of Jesus.
Leftist are toxic sludge.