# "Female soldier charged with abusing prisoners..." **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 8, 2004, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-soldier-charged-with-abusing-prisoners/244175 "2004-05-08T13:12:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-soldier-charged-with-abusing-prisoners/244175/21 "2004-05-09T16:45:10Z")
**Master Wang-Ka** There is an editorial column in the Toronto Star on just this subject. I don’t think it’s on-line though, but if you or Mrs. Wang want to see it I could send you a clipping. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-soldier-charged-with-abusing-prisoners/244175/22 "2004-05-09T19:27:03Z")
I’ll pass, but thanks for offering. My take on the matter was that male soldiers torturing prisoners is bad, but female soldiers torturing prisoners is _newsworthy_… and there went the media, oh my goodness. I set up the original OP because my wife stormed in while I was online, and growled about how I ought to put that Straight Dope to some good use and see if anyone knew anything about why only the FEMALE soldier’s family was on TV crying, and why all this noise about the FEMALE soldier, and so on. She’d been watching CNN, you see. It seemed like a reasonable thing to fling out to the Teeming Millions, so I did. Since I posted, I have read the thread several times, and noted several commentaries online and from news sources… and the overall consensus seems to be pretty much what everyone’s said here. Someday, I’m just gonna turn my wife loose in here. Then again, maybe not. Telling funny stories about myself is one thing; letting HER tell them could be quite another… ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-soldier-charged-with-abusing-prisoners/244175/23 "2004-05-09T20:07:08Z")
I think I’m gonna send this thread to Kevin Myers, an Irish columnist known for being a complete right-wing looper. Last week he wrote that these pictures aren’t getting much press in the US precisely _because_ they’re of a woman torturing men, and the feminazi US media would only be interested if it were the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-soldier-charged-with-abusing-prisoners/244175/24 "2004-05-09T22:03:40Z")
> [@Standup Karmic](#): > > I believe that the media has made it newsworthy because it is newsworthy. Imagine if we were shown these photos without any identifiers. The vast majority would automatically assume that it was male soldiers that staged and took the photographs. After all, while some women have been known to act barbarically, barbary ([dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) tells me this is not a word except as a proper noun, but I think it ought to be) is a male-dominated profession. > > Therefore, to see that a woman has played a role in this humiliation and degradation is fascinating and, for some, perhaps even titillating. No, no no. Not fascinating or titallating, but **empowering**. Since barbarity is a male dominated profession, it’s good to see a woman break through the glass ceiling and really make a name for herself and show society that a woman can be every bit the barbarian as a man can. And it’s about time. God knows the world is further ahead than U.S. society. Why, Iraq itself had Mrs. Anthrax (aka Dr. Germ), so it’s about time that a U.S. woman achieved international notice for crimes against humanity. She’ll be a model for all the young girls who shun putting ants under the magnifying glass or putting cherry bombs in a frog or lighting the cat’s tail on fire. Now that the news media is finally reporting the gains women are making in the field of barbarity, it’ll be time for Hollywood to take note and start making women the star slasher of gorefest chillers. Peace. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-soldier-charged-with-abusing-prisoners/244175/25 "2004-05-09T23:06:19Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Wasn’t she the ranking officer and therefore the “buck stops here” person for this little S&M military prison? You’re confusing her with the female BGN formerly in command of the 800 MP Brigade, who’s in hot water of a different nature. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-soldier-charged-with-abusing-prisoners/244175/26 "2004-05-10T19:25:59Z")
> [@Cillasi](#): > > You’re right. It is more damaging to their psyche. Contrary to somewhat popular belief, Islamic men are very respectful of women **who act as Islamic men think they should act** and do not like being placed in a position where a woman’s language or behavior might encourage a less than respectful response. The bolded part is mine. Women who step out the very tight strictures set up by Islamic men are generally singled out for abuse. And of course, there are reports that a lot of Islamic men beat their wives. I’d take that “respectful” shit with a grain of salt, I would. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-soldier-charged-with-abusing-prisoners/244175/27 "2004-05-10T19:47:32Z")
This is almost completely unrelated, but on Morning Edition today, Cokie Roberts was going on and on about how “our military **men** ” are now saying that Iraq is turning into another Viet Nam. She must have said “our military **men** ” at least twice, and possibly three times. I wanted to reach into the clock radio and strangle her. What year is it, again? 1943? Someone with RA or Winamp can listen and report whether my recollection is correct, if they wish: [This morning’s program.](http://www.npr.org/rundowns/rundown.php?prgDate=10-May-2004&prgId=3) Weak attempt to tie this in to the OP: Maybe the notion that there are women in the military at all still has some shock value for some people. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-soldier-charged-with-abusing-prisoners/244175/28 "2004-05-10T19:53:33Z")
> [@Standup Karmic](#): > > barbary ([dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) tells me this is not a word except as a proper noun, but I think it ought to be) Nitpick: I think the word you want instead of “barbary” is **barbarianism**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-soldier-charged-with-abusing-prisoners/244175.md?page=1)