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You've seen it. It's in the hallways: posters taped to walls, pop up figures in corners with SHARP banners, tables with cards and other literature promoting the program. Where I work, there are even stickers on the bathroom mirror like a picture frame saying that I am part of the SHARP program. No I'm not.
Like most of you, I have sat through the dry, boring SHARP power point slides and videos. Sexual Harassment/Assault Response & Prevention. Oh joy - who actually looks forward to these things?
In every video the scenarios are the same. Here it is, blunt as can be for you: Girl gets drunk and can't keep her legs closed. Guy gets drunk and becomes a sexual predator. What's the solution the Army comes up with: YOU better go to the bar and baby sit people. Why? They're over 18, they're adults. What's that? Someone say "it's your responsibility?" No. Absolutely not.
I am 30 years old, have a wife and two small children. Where was I at 0230 hrs on Saturday when PFC Idiot was drunk and having sex with the drunk PV2 She-idiot? I was a home, where a married father should be. Why wasn't I at the barracks Friday night checking on people? Because those are the single soldier's quarters. Married individuals have no business there. I've seen what married Soldiers do in the barracks - it damn sure ain't their job.
That's like blaming TV for a kid's actions instead of crappy parenting. How about the military address the real problem: Can't control your alcohol without making bad decisions? DON'T DRINK! Oh my goodness...a logical, mature thought. Besides - two drunk people having sex isn't rape. Just because one party wakes up and thinks "oh no! I shouldn't have done that" doesn't mean you were attacked and doesn't warrant filing a report on someone. You got drunk and made a bad choice. It means you're an idiot and lack self control, period.
Lets talk more about this SHARP failure. All videos/scenarios point to lower enlisted Soldiers. Anyone keeping up with the news? Seems like here lately our offenders are mostly senior enlisted and officers. Hmmm...profiling the wrong crowd with all this stuff much?
Our SHARP program goes into how to report an incident that's already happened, or other Soldiers having to make on the spot corrections as they see something happening. "Hey man, that's not cool, don't do that." "Why are you letting him talk to you that way". "She's not a piece of meat, bro." Then they slide into how to tell on someone for their behavior. Tell on them. What, are we in kindergarten?
How about this...instead of running and telling a third party that a guy just slapped you on the ass or said something way, way off center, you ball your fist and you break his nose? Kick him in the satchel. How about you make it so abundantly clear that you are not to be fucked with and harassed that it never, ever happens again? Call it excessive? I don't. Rape and being sexually harassed is serious - so destroy the behavior with a serious response to it.
Think of it this way: what you would tell your daughter if she said something was going on? Easy dad...me too, I'd find the little bastard and I would - I'm right there with you. But seriously: what would you tell her? Go tell the principal? Or would you tell her to put the kid on his ass and end it right then and there?
So why do we tell our Soldiers NOT to stick up for themselves and just go tell a third party to handle a problem? Did tattling on people ever solve anything in your life? Didn't work for me either.
Lastly, its now on my NCOER. How do I help support the SHARP program? Easy, I keep my d#*% in my pants and my hands to myself while at work. Seriously?
Our kinder, friendlier culture doesn't want anyone to stand up for themselves. They want you to report, tell, and play nice about it. There is no Prevention in this program. Until the actual issue here: drunken stupidity, immaturity, and taking responsibility for one's personal well being is addressed, nothing will change.
Like most of you, I have sat through the dry, boring SHARP power point slides and videos. Sexual Harassment/Assault Response & Prevention. Oh joy - who actually looks forward to these things?
In every video the scenarios are the same. Here it is, blunt as can be for you: Girl gets drunk and can't keep her legs closed. Guy gets drunk and becomes a sexual predator. What's the solution the Army comes up with: YOU better go to the bar and baby sit people. Why? They're over 18, they're adults. What's that? Someone say "it's your responsibility?" No. Absolutely not.
I am 30 years old, have a wife and two small children. Where was I at 0230 hrs on Saturday when PFC Idiot was drunk and having sex with the drunk PV2 She-idiot? I was a home, where a married father should be. Why wasn't I at the barracks Friday night checking on people? Because those are the single soldier's quarters. Married individuals have no business there. I've seen what married Soldiers do in the barracks - it damn sure ain't their job.
That's like blaming TV for a kid's actions instead of crappy parenting. How about the military address the real problem: Can't control your alcohol without making bad decisions? DON'T DRINK! Oh my goodness...a logical, mature thought. Besides - two drunk people having sex isn't rape. Just because one party wakes up and thinks "oh no! I shouldn't have done that" doesn't mean you were attacked and doesn't warrant filing a report on someone. You got drunk and made a bad choice. It means you're an idiot and lack self control, period.
Lets talk more about this SHARP failure. All videos/scenarios point to lower enlisted Soldiers. Anyone keeping up with the news? Seems like here lately our offenders are mostly senior enlisted and officers. Hmmm...profiling the wrong crowd with all this stuff much?
Our SHARP program goes into how to report an incident that's already happened, or other Soldiers having to make on the spot corrections as they see something happening. "Hey man, that's not cool, don't do that." "Why are you letting him talk to you that way". "She's not a piece of meat, bro." Then they slide into how to tell on someone for their behavior. Tell on them. What, are we in kindergarten?
How about this...instead of running and telling a third party that a guy just slapped you on the ass or said something way, way off center, you ball your fist and you break his nose? Kick him in the satchel. How about you make it so abundantly clear that you are not to be fucked with and harassed that it never, ever happens again? Call it excessive? I don't. Rape and being sexually harassed is serious - so destroy the behavior with a serious response to it.
Think of it this way: what you would tell your daughter if she said something was going on? Easy dad...me too, I'd find the little bastard and I would - I'm right there with you. But seriously: what would you tell her? Go tell the principal? Or would you tell her to put the kid on his ass and end it right then and there?
So why do we tell our Soldiers NOT to stick up for themselves and just go tell a third party to handle a problem? Did tattling on people ever solve anything in your life? Didn't work for me either.
Lastly, its now on my NCOER. How do I help support the SHARP program? Easy, I keep my d#*% in my pants and my hands to myself while at work. Seriously?
Our kinder, friendlier culture doesn't want anyone to stand up for themselves. They want you to report, tell, and play nice about it. There is no Prevention in this program. Until the actual issue here: drunken stupidity, immaturity, and taking responsibility for one's personal well being is addressed, nothing will change.
SHARP
Sexual Harassment
Sexual Assault
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 24
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1
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It seems to me the entire SHARP program was invented/bred by the Army powers that be because of negative publicity and questions being asked on Capitol Hill by members of our Government.
This I feel is the flavor of the month to address in terms to a knee jerk response to Senior Leadership in our branch of service as a CYA to show the press and the rest of America that they are actively engaging the issues that the Army is having with Sexual Assault.
The above statements are not by any means to be taken as my having a perception that Sexual Assault isn't an issue. I whole heartedly feel that it is. However I don't feel that the Army's approach is correct in terms of prevention. Posters, signs, mundane powerpoints and adding a bullet on an NCOER is not effective.
I feel that a more suitable approach would be to maintain the current zero tolerance policy but add to it. By adding to it I mean bringing back post correctional facilities, where Soldiers serve a term of 30 days hard labor and grueling make you throw up PT every day for small infractions to this policy, then an expedited discharge while at that correctional facility. Followed by a registration on a national sex offender registry. For serious violations of the SHARP policy, mandatory jail time at a military correctional facility.
If you make the consequences of an offense so heinous compared to the current punishments that MOST will correct themselves and never even think of commiting the act. As you all know there will always be the few that are just broken and will do what they want.
This I feel is the flavor of the month to address in terms to a knee jerk response to Senior Leadership in our branch of service as a CYA to show the press and the rest of America that they are actively engaging the issues that the Army is having with Sexual Assault.
The above statements are not by any means to be taken as my having a perception that Sexual Assault isn't an issue. I whole heartedly feel that it is. However I don't feel that the Army's approach is correct in terms of prevention. Posters, signs, mundane powerpoints and adding a bullet on an NCOER is not effective.
I feel that a more suitable approach would be to maintain the current zero tolerance policy but add to it. By adding to it I mean bringing back post correctional facilities, where Soldiers serve a term of 30 days hard labor and grueling make you throw up PT every day for small infractions to this policy, then an expedited discharge while at that correctional facility. Followed by a registration on a national sex offender registry. For serious violations of the SHARP policy, mandatory jail time at a military correctional facility.
If you make the consequences of an offense so heinous compared to the current punishments that MOST will correct themselves and never even think of commiting the act. As you all know there will always be the few that are just broken and will do what they want.
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SSG Jacob Wiley
"If you make the consequences of an offense so heinous compared to the current punishments that MOST will correct themselves and never even think of committing the act."
1SG (Join to see) Definitely an agreeable statement. Society has gotten too soft...
1SG (Join to see) Definitely an agreeable statement. Society has gotten too soft...
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I have a feeling that you have just said what a WHOLE lot of people have been thinking, but we both know it's NOT going away for the reasons that many others have already mentioned.
Yes it's a pain, yes it's broken, but as long as there is a need for awareness and reporting training, there will be awareness and reporting training, and it will be for everyone. If it helps one person, then it really is justified.
Yes it's a pain, yes it's broken, but as long as there is a need for awareness and reporting training, there will be awareness and reporting training, and it will be for everyone. If it helps one person, then it really is justified.
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SGM (Join to see)
The SHARP program exist to promote awareness and encourage bystander intervention. It's another Army program which contribute to mission enhancement. As a leader it's your duty to ensure your Soldiers are aware of the risk and implement measures to help reduce them. What a Soldier does or does not do with those measures it's on the Soldier. You are not responsible for another human being action or behavior unless you failed to do your part (CYA). As a leader you can try to Influences a Soldier behavior. However, you will never be able to control it.
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All of these type trainings are no brainers. But for the idiots you identified, who were raised wrong it is not. Hopefully you and you fellow leaders have serious dialog during the training discussing exactly why it is wrong and what you would do to the so and so who treated your daughter, sister etc. this way. That is why we have the trainjng, so that you will place your morals on the table and help to redirect poor behavior. Lastly you are their to identify the potential idiots in your organization that laugh and joke their way through it as potential predators. Bottom line is that if it prevents one idiot from harming another person then it was worth it to have you go through it. Stop complaining “NCO” and take part. Thank you for your service.
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A key problem of the military's sexual assault saga is putting responsibility for being sexually assaulted on the victims. I think with the current strategy is part of the reason victims are afraid to report incidents. If you're a victim and you've done one of the things on that SHARP reporting poster, you now feel like its your fault that you were sexually assaulted.
Whoever is a SARC coordinator or VA here, answer me this, does one of your questions ask the victim what they were wearing or if they were alone or were drunk? If so, how does this promote culture change support victims as opposed to tearing victims down by plastering these types of posters all over the base/post etc. When asking these questions aren't we re-enforcing victims fear and make them feel like its their fault all over again. If the sexual assault wasn't enough, now degraded by asking "were you drinking". At that point I would probably not tell you a damn thing.
Is it me or does the training not help? In all my years, I've never heard anyone say anything about what's being done to stop the perpetrators. Who here has seen the 'Invisible War', an investigative documentary about the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the US military? After watching this I made an eerie discovery: all the armed forces have mishandled sexual-assault cases by discouraging victims from pursuing complaints, conducting flawed investigations and depriving victims of support services. Military officers/NCOs often have ignored or hidden problems and findings related to sexual assaults. Many fear retaliation, damage to their careers and being portrayed as disloyal. And those who do report are often punished, intimidated, ostracized or told they are crazy by their superiors.
Whoever is a SARC coordinator or VA here, answer me this, does one of your questions ask the victim what they were wearing or if they were alone or were drunk? If so, how does this promote culture change support victims as opposed to tearing victims down by plastering these types of posters all over the base/post etc. When asking these questions aren't we re-enforcing victims fear and make them feel like its their fault all over again. If the sexual assault wasn't enough, now degraded by asking "were you drinking". At that point I would probably not tell you a damn thing.
Is it me or does the training not help? In all my years, I've never heard anyone say anything about what's being done to stop the perpetrators. Who here has seen the 'Invisible War', an investigative documentary about the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the US military? After watching this I made an eerie discovery: all the armed forces have mishandled sexual-assault cases by discouraging victims from pursuing complaints, conducting flawed investigations and depriving victims of support services. Military officers/NCOs often have ignored or hidden problems and findings related to sexual assaults. Many fear retaliation, damage to their careers and being portrayed as disloyal. And those who do report are often punished, intimidated, ostracized or told they are crazy by their superiors.
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MSG Jose Colon
That right there is the issue: " After watching this I made an eerie discovery: all the armed forces have mishandled sexual-assault cases by discouraging victims from pursuing complaints, conducting flawed investigations and depriving victims of support services. Military officers/NCOs often have ignored or hidden problems and findings related to sexual assaults."
The purpose of the SHARP/SAPR Program is not to babysit, but to:
1. Inform survivors that there are services to support them.
2. Identify perpetrators and if the evidence is there, convict them.
3. Soldiers talk, so when they self identify about the stupid things that they are planning, that is the time to intervene. But you will not know to intervene unless you have your eyes open and understand that getting a person drunk to have your way with them is sexual assault. Its not a female problem and is not a male problem. It is an ignorance problem. As such, that is the reason for the infernal amount of briefings.
4. The briefings are boring because if you have a modicum of common sense, you don't abuse alcohol, you don't go to clubs to pick up your next intimate partner, and you do not force yourself on someone else, you ask before engaging in sex. It is the remainder onesies or twosies that have the sense of a brick that we are trying to reach and prevent them from becoming a perpetrator. Unfortunately, we have to brief everyone.
5. I got it, we are tough sons and daughters of a gun, but how easy it is for you to go to a two or three star general and tell them to quit saying stupid stuff? Yeah, I got it, you chew armor for breakfast, but telling someone who is intimidating off is not normal human behavior, and, if you smack someone for being an idiot, you are risking being beat up or worst.
I'm a firm believer in the second amendment, and also enjoy martial arts, but as a civilized human being, I realize that I cannot beat up everyone I want to, and, if I try, I will most likely end up in jail.
6. Putting predators in jail: The standard is to prove the crime beyond the reasonable doubt, and if the attorney for the defense can create a single thread of doubt, the individual will not be convicted. As such, why would I report if the perpetrator will not be punished?
* We are having a heck of a time convincing people that we want you to report, not to be a tattle tale, but so we can support you and help you recover and continue to be a great Soldier.
* We are trying to convince drunks that don't believe that they are drunks, that when you are drunk, you cannot really understand the signals the other person is giving you. When they are screaming is not because they are in the arms of a great lover, they are trying to tell you that they want you to stop. You, however, are so dense and drunk that cannot see it.
Most drunks don't think that they have a drinking problem. Those are the ones who end up complaining that "she didn't like the sex, so she claimed rape".
Training sucks because there is no really good way to say: "Don't be a moron, don't drink and try to have sex."
The purpose of the SHARP/SAPR Program is not to babysit, but to:
1. Inform survivors that there are services to support them.
2. Identify perpetrators and if the evidence is there, convict them.
3. Soldiers talk, so when they self identify about the stupid things that they are planning, that is the time to intervene. But you will not know to intervene unless you have your eyes open and understand that getting a person drunk to have your way with them is sexual assault. Its not a female problem and is not a male problem. It is an ignorance problem. As such, that is the reason for the infernal amount of briefings.
4. The briefings are boring because if you have a modicum of common sense, you don't abuse alcohol, you don't go to clubs to pick up your next intimate partner, and you do not force yourself on someone else, you ask before engaging in sex. It is the remainder onesies or twosies that have the sense of a brick that we are trying to reach and prevent them from becoming a perpetrator. Unfortunately, we have to brief everyone.
5. I got it, we are tough sons and daughters of a gun, but how easy it is for you to go to a two or three star general and tell them to quit saying stupid stuff? Yeah, I got it, you chew armor for breakfast, but telling someone who is intimidating off is not normal human behavior, and, if you smack someone for being an idiot, you are risking being beat up or worst.
I'm a firm believer in the second amendment, and also enjoy martial arts, but as a civilized human being, I realize that I cannot beat up everyone I want to, and, if I try, I will most likely end up in jail.
6. Putting predators in jail: The standard is to prove the crime beyond the reasonable doubt, and if the attorney for the defense can create a single thread of doubt, the individual will not be convicted. As such, why would I report if the perpetrator will not be punished?
* We are having a heck of a time convincing people that we want you to report, not to be a tattle tale, but so we can support you and help you recover and continue to be a great Soldier.
* We are trying to convince drunks that don't believe that they are drunks, that when you are drunk, you cannot really understand the signals the other person is giving you. When they are screaming is not because they are in the arms of a great lover, they are trying to tell you that they want you to stop. You, however, are so dense and drunk that cannot see it.
Most drunks don't think that they have a drinking problem. Those are the ones who end up complaining that "she didn't like the sex, so she claimed rape".
Training sucks because there is no really good way to say: "Don't be a moron, don't drink and try to have sex."
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