# Navy buying Xbox 360 sex assault simulator

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-buying-xbox-360-sex-assault-simulator/664766>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [July 28, 2013, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-buying-xbox-360-sex-assault-simulator/664766 "2013-07-28T23:40:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 13\
**Page:** 3

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-buying-xbox-360-sex-assault-simulator/664766/41 "2013-07-31T01:34:15Z")

</div>

Here. [Lindsay Rodman: The Pentagon's Bad Math on Sexual Assault - WSJ](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323582904578484941173658754.html)

I’m not going to explain to you why neither I nor my troops are more likely to rape you or our coworkers than the guy who lives next door to you or your bus driver.

And don’t start calling me EVIL just because I’m not falling all over myself trying to find the special reasons why troops rape. Troops rape for the same reason anyone else rapes. Because they are fucked up individuals. I’m not condoning rape or covering it up. As much as arm chair commanders want the military to be made up of extra special people who are more well behaved than the rest of the country the reality is that we are taken from the general population of criminals and delinquents who are here mostly because we want a good job. Not because we want to be Captain America.

As far as your beef with how the military handles actual sexual assaults take it up with someone else because I’m not here to argue that. I’m here to tell you I won’t rape you or my fellow troops and I don’t think an Xbox simulator, briefing, computer based training module or role playing is going to prevent a rapist from doing it.

The ridiculous ways the services are tripping over themselves to “fix” the people are a waste of time and do nothing but allow a commander to check a box said he did “something”.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-buying-xbox-360-sex-assault-simulator/664766/42 "2013-07-31T01:38:38Z")

</div>

> [@Cubsfan](#):
>
> And don’t start calling me EVIL just because I’m not falling all over myself trying to find the special reasons why troops rape. Troops rape for the same reason anyone else rapes. Because they are fucked up individuals.

Well, they shouldn’t be, should they? Aren’t recruits screened any better than that?!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-buying-xbox-360-sex-assault-simulator/664766/43 "2013-07-31T01:39:52Z")

</div>

> [@Cubsfan](#):
>
> Here. [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323582904578484941173658754.html](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323582904578484941173658754.html)

:dubious: Dude, that is the **Opinon** page of the _ **Wall Street Journal.** _ You might as well cite _The Onion._

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-buying-xbox-360-sex-assault-simulator/664766/44 "2013-07-31T01:40:26Z")

</div>

Typing on an iPad is tough.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-buying-xbox-360-sex-assault-simulator/664766/45 "2013-07-31T01:41:52Z")

</div>

> [@BrainGlutton](#):
>
> Well, they shouldn’t be, should they? Aren’t recruits screened any better than that?!

Go get a job as a recruiter and you can fix the problem if you have the answers. That’s one way to take action.

Are you denying the validity of the analysis just because it’s not written by a journalist?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-buying-xbox-360-sex-assault-simulator/664766/46 "2013-07-31T01:57:05Z")

</div>

I’m going to take a different tack here.

> [@Cubsfan](#):
>
> It’s no worse in the military than it is in the civilian world. It’s just much more advertised.

That may be true, but I really don’t see why this is being pitted. The Navy only spent $87,000 on this. That ain’t a Hell of a lot if you think about it. The US Navy has a roster of roughly 322,000 active duty personnel. Reserve is about 100,000. That’s roughly a nickle spent per person for the entire year.

What I’m am trying to get at is that this is no different from an average private companies HR bullshit. The Navy has got some bad press, so they make some training material. I don’t see why the fact that this particular training is in the form of a video game deserves pitting. Is that why you are pitting it? Are you pitting it just because it’s a video game?

If not, just remember that the Navy is HUGE. This is the equivalent of an HR power point presentation for them.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-buying-xbox-360-sex-assault-simulator/664766/47 "2013-07-31T01:58:51Z")

</div>

> [@Cubsfan](#):
>
> Are you denying the validity of the analysis just because it’s not written by a journalist?

I am denying the validity of the analysis because the WSJ Opinion page was willing to print it.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-buying-xbox-360-sex-assault-simulator/664766/48 "2013-07-31T02:00:59Z")

</div>

> [@Cubsfan](#):
>
> Here. [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323582904578484941173658754.html](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323582904578484941173658754.html)

Yeah… a subscription only opinion piece isn’t really bolstering your case. Sorry. I mean, all I can see is the headline, and then the byline (“Potential recruits need to know that serving in the military doesn’t turn a woman into a victim.”) which is already pretty weaselly. Since absolutely no one has ever said serving in the military will turn (all) women into victims, I have to raise an eyebrow when that’s how they start off the defense. Can you refute the cites and statistics from earlier?

> [@](#):
>
> I’m not going to explain to you why neither I nor my troops are more likely to rape you or our coworkers than the guy who lives next door to you or your bus driver.

Well, it’s the pit and you don’t have to. But I hope you understand no one will believe your claims unless you back them up. Since other people have shown that you and your troops do, in fact, rape at a rate higher than the general population, it might be hard for you though.

> [@](#):
>
> And don’t start calling me EVIL just because I’m not falling all over myself trying to find the special reasons why troops rape.

I didn’t say you were evil; I said your disingenuousness was evil. I don’t think you are evil. I think you argue poorly and lie _in the service_ of evil. You ignore cites you don’t want to see because you’d rather not know the truth about your troops, and you reply to posts that you can easily refute because it’s scares you to challenge your worldview.

> [@](#):
>
> Troops rape for the same reason anyone else rapes. Because they are fucked up individuals. I’m not condoning rape or covering it up.

You’ve studied rape and rapists and why they say they rape? Because, people have. People who want to stop rape. And it isn’t all that simple. So, whether you know it or not, by refusing to educate yourself on why men rape and how it can be dealt with, and by dismissing this tool to help prevent sexual assault, you are in fact condoning rape and covering it up. I know ignorance is bliss, but sometimes we have to deal with the harsh realities.

> [@](#):
>
> As much as arm chair commanders want the military to be made up of extra special people who are more well behaved than the rest of the country the reality is that we are taken from the general population of criminals and delinquents who are here mostly because we want a good job. Not because we want to be Captain America.

From this comment I can tell you know nothing about what people are actually saying about this subject. You’ve reduced it to a stupid, easily dismissed whine, and kept on going, never bothering to look deeper into the problems. Do you understand this attitude is what contributes to the culture of rape in the military? No, I guess you don’t, and I’m further guessing you don’t care.

> [@](#):
>
> As far as your beef with how the military handles actual sexual assaults take it up with someone else because I’m not here to argue that. I’m here to tell you I won’t rape you or my fellow troops and I don’t think an Xbox simulator, briefing, computer based training module or role playing is going to prevent a rapist from doing it.

And all this is based on nothing more than your ignorant conjecture. I don’t know if this will be an effective tool or not, but neither do you. With your bias you’ll never know. You don’t even recognize there’s a _problem_.

> [@](#):
>
> The ridiculous ways the services are tripping over themselves to “fix” the people are a waste of time and do nothing but allow a commander to check a box said he did “something”.

You’re right. Until we can solve all rapes forever, we should just do nothing. To try is ridiculous!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-buying-xbox-360-sex-assault-simulator/664766/49 "2013-07-31T02:17:28Z")

</div>

> [@I\_Made\_French\_Toast\_For\_You](#):
>
> I’d say it’s worse in the military. If I were the OP, I’d spend more time worrying about victims of sexual assault rather than men forced to play educational video games.

It is not just that either - I think a better comparison is military to other _workplace_ rates. That’s got to be an even more dramatic disparity. And it isn’t just rape that is the problem, there’s sexual harassment and so forth.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-buying-xbox-360-sex-assault-simulator/664766/50 "2013-07-31T03:06:40Z")

</div>

It’s not subscription only. I’m not a subscriber and it let me right in.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-buying-xbox-360-sex-assault-simulator/664766/51 "2013-07-31T03:08:30Z")

</div>

> [@Cubsfan](#):
>
> It’s not subscription only. I’m not a subscriber and it let me right in.

It must like you. I just see the headline and one-sentence article description.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-buying-xbox-360-sex-assault-simulator/664766/52 "2013-07-31T03:15:00Z")

</div>

> [@miss\_elizabeth](#):
>
> I didn’t say you were evil; I said your disingenuousness was evil. I don’t think you are evil. I think you argue poorly and lie _in the service_ of evil. You ignore cites you don’t want to see because you’d rather not know the truth about your troops, and you reply to posts that you can easily refute because it’s scares you to challenge your worldview.  
> !

The article I linked to directly addresses the cites. I doesn’t require a subscription.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-buying-xbox-360-sex-assault-simulator/664766/53 "2013-07-31T03:32:04Z")

</div>

Here is a more reputable source supporting my basic position. The earlier link isn’t letting me in now.  
www.ndu.edu/press/military-sexual-assault.html

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-buying-xbox-360-sex-assault-simulator/664766.md?page=2)
