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| General David Petraeus takes an oath of office as the CIA Director from US Vice President Joe Biden (left: his wife Holly holding the Bible in a White House ceremony, Sept. 6, 2011) |
Photo courtesy:usnews.nbcnews.com
The affair of the four-star U.S.
General and CIA Director David Petraeus and its domino effect on others are not
surprising in the light of the amount of exposure US armed forces personnel get
to sex and sexuality.This affair made the General resign from the CIA.
The US is famous for its record of
individual rights over societal rights, freedom of expression, freedom of information,
and human rights. Because of these, pornographers are allowed to produce unabatedly,
swinger and swap clubs (where one can exchange sex-partner or one’s own husband
or wife with another willing woman or man) proliferate, high sexual content in
entertainment programmes (TV shows, movies, comedy clubs) in day or prime time
are on the increase and online soft-core and hard-core pornography is available
at home and work. Fornication, adultery and homosexuality are generally
tolerated. Strangely, extramarital sex and homosexuality among some high
positioned persons are frowned upon. The same thing happened with the case of
General Petraeus.
When in the first year of my Master’s
course (we used to have evening classes at that time) on journalism at the
University of Dhaka in 1969-70, we had a subject, called Current Affairs. We
had to know the history and latest situation on important hot-spots of the
world, such as the Vietnam War, Kashmir situation between India and Pakistan,
Middle-East crisis, and so on. The regular coverage of the Vietnam War was in newspapers
and magazines. With much curiosity and interest I would read about it in local
as well as US newspapers and magazines. On my way to the university, I would
stop for an hour or so at the United States Information Service (U.S.I.S.) library
on Topkhana Road opposite to the Dhaka Press Club. I also would visit the
British Council Library on Fuller Road near the University of Dhaka. The news
coverage -- especially photographic
images -- of the war that ended in 1975, is still vivid in my mind even after 37
years.
One US army veteran, who returned
from Vietnam duty, joined the University of Portland, in Portland, Oregon,
where I was also a student on the University and Congregation of Holy Cross scholarship.
When I came to know that he was a veteran, I used to talk with him about his
war experience. One day he asked me if I would like to go with him to a US armed
force base outside Portland. I was too eager to go as I was interested in seeing how army
personnel live and work. At the camp, my friend returned his uniform,
caps, boots and other items. The person in charge of the depository asked me if
I was interested in joining the army. I said, “No, thanks. I am a foreigner here.
Moreover, I don’t want to kill anyone!” The gentleman laughed uproariously. Then
my friend took me to a large recreation room to meet with some of his
acquaintances. Some army personnel were watching a pornographic film there. I
was surprised because, coming from a conservative society in Bangladesh, it was
beyond my imagination that someone could watch pornographic movie so openly. On
top of that, how could, army people, who were supposed to be so self-disciplined,
respectful and dignified, could stoop so low? Later, on our way back, I asked
my friend why the army allows pornography to be viewed so openly. He replied that armed forces personnel live
such a tense and stressful life that they need recreation for a release. Anyway, I was wondering, in one year or in
their stint at the armed forces, how much pornography they get exposed to regularly
and what the effect of these would be on them and their families. Later, wouldn’t they see women as cheap shots
and easily available to feed their fantasies?
During my readings on the Vietnam
War, I came across of the news of groups of US armed forces personnel, after
serving a period of time in the war fields, being shipped to Thailand for rest and recreation. Their main destination was the Bangkok’s red light areas and
night clubs. The notoriety of the US Naval Base at the Subic Bay in the
Philippines in relation to the exponential growth of the nearby Olongapo red-light
district is well known. Anyone can guess what happened in those two places.
According to the Wikipedia, during
World War II, swinging (exchange of sex-partners between two couples, but at
that time called ‘wife-swapping’) began among US Air Force pilots and their
wives for having a close bond among them so that in case of death in war, the
other couple could take care of the dead pilot’s wife and children. In the
1950s, some armed forces personnel kept up this practice and later it spread to
US city suburbs among other citizens. Gradually, swinging spread to different
western countries.
Rape and other types of sexual violence and assaults are on the increase in the US armed forces. Women are
coming forward to protest and demand a redress of this sad environment. The
costs of sexual violence in these forces are immense.
The divorce rate among the military
personnel is on the increase, too. Reasons for divorce among the veterans are
stress from the war front, mental issues and infidelity. Many of these veterans are more likely to have
emotional affairs or extramarital sex. Over 30% of the veterans are said to
have sex outside marriage. This is the double the national rate for US
civilians.
There’s a common saying: “You are
what you eat.” Similarly, it is also true that you are what you feed your mind.
A lot of pornography, sexuality and sex have their natural effects on military men
and women and their families. These effects are not positive, of course.
The affair of General Petraeus is the
culmination of the duplicity maintained in the armed forces regarding rest and
recreation and increased sexualized atmosphere within.The US government will do a great service if it gives a serious look at the the problem of too much sexualization and redresses it.
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