Is This Rape Culture or Something In Between? Either Way, It's Wrong

[vishna]

Warning: Details could be graphic to some.

The Spaniards Bay fire department is about 20 people short after the majority of the men resigned following allegations of harassment and general misconduct by the sole female firefighter. But in a recent rally, over 200 people, many women, showed up to support the firefighters.

Brenda Seymour, the female firefighter, says hardcore porn was played for 5-6 minutes in a training meeting as well as another porn in which a women masturbated in a kitchen and put out a fire with her ejaculate fluids.. Also, she states the kitchen porn was shown multiple times at the work place for "a laugh."

Additionally, she says that when her balaclava went missing and she got a new one, a coworker, the fire chief's brother, said "You might want to go home and wash that, we jerked all over it."

Brenda has gotten most of the flack in the community:

"I received a letter...It was anonymously written to me... it was [online chat] transcripts: five of the firefighters' wives...One of the women in the transcript says 'Brenda is a conniving witch and should be burned at the stake.' Another calls her a 'slimy bitch' and suggests 'we should hire a hit man.'"

Rape Culture-the bit you clicked for

You have women and even prop children, being used to support men part of a horrible story of alleged sexual harassment and misconduct.

As of now, 900 people have liked a Facebook page supporting the men. Also, here are a few things I've found on that page:

"Why is it wrong, because you say it is wrong? Women always have to ruin the men's club and they wonder why men don't want them around."

"They are better people, if the woman can't handle hanging with men then maybe she ought to go play with dolls and let men do their damn job without having to worry about bs."

"I've heard and told guys worse than that, it's called ribbing and is normal workplace behavior. She's too sensitive or playing the poor woman card, either way she needs to go."

"She is a grown woman and the only grown woman in a firehouse with grown men," read one post to the group which has since been deleted. "She can't expect them to sit down, eat chocolates, talk about Fifty Shades of Grey and tampons."

Why the town's reaction is wrong:

Given the severity of the allegations, a first reaction shouldn't be to vilify and demonize the person making the claim. Also, the instructor who showed the porn has already confessed to doing so. So, we know she's not lying about that. Why then would the first reaction be to stand behind guys like that? I think this community needs an intervention. They're adding to the problem, not making it better.

References:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/spaniards-bay-residents-support-firefighters-resignations-1.3413303
https://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/20-male-firefighters-quit-after-only-female-colleague-complains-of-harassment-in-newfoundland-town

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/porn-classroom-jeremy-hall-1.3413176

P.S. This has been saved for a while, but feel free to look up what happened since then.

[ginny_weasley]

My sister was an EMT and working at a fire station and something similar happened to her. Not to this extent. But they almost killed her and she had to go to the ER for injuries. I may or may not go Arya Stark on them, if they did kill her. I don't know what it is, either way it's bullshit. She is now suing them and the EEOC has agreed to take on her case. They have offered her loads of money but she refused. She just wants an apology and a promise to never do it to any other female employees. Since then she made me promise to not become an EMT for this reason. You know what the worst part was? I came on this site, worried they would hurt her and people said its just guys being guys. Even when I said, they almost killed her, people said she overreacted and that she has low pain tolerance.

[zagor]

What did they do that almost killed her?

[ginny_weasley]

@zagor one thing they made her do was an exercise on a fake roof except this fake roof had no shingles. Why I don't know. I don't know what the exact exercise was, but as she successfully completed each exercise, that made them mad. Mostly because they like to see her fail. As they got madder and madder, they put the inclination of the roof further and further, my sister has good balance so she lasted a while awhile. When the inclination was basically at a 180 degree angle (which isn't legal), she fell off the roof. They made her get back to work, but after work she went to the ER for a shoulder injury.

[vishna]

You're sister is tough but it sucks she had to be so tough because of people like that... I mean, who would actually try to do something like that.. people :/

[Waffles731]

@ginny_Weasley
Remember what Dishonored says,
orig05.deviantart.net/.../..._declarck-d57jwro.jpg

[ginny_weasley]

@Waffles731 it'll make me feel better. It'll then, I will just give a strong stare of my resting bitch face. They invited us over to the fire house for Thanksgiving, I was disgusted to find out that one of her coworkers has a daughter who is almost my age, yet he lets the abuse to my sister continue.

[Waffles731]

Well here are some ideas from dishonored
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB-j-mMCiD4
Fuck it I'm pre-ordering Dishonored 2 tomorrow

[Sinister]

Are you fucking kidding me? Some people just ughhhhh irk me so much. I know there's sexual misconduct/rape/assault in the military and it gets covered up like crazy but then to have people out there fully parading saying that the woman is the problem and the men are the victims. Fucking idiots. There's no hazing in my squad and section but the jerking off on a balaclava, there's a beatdown for that, shit like that makes me sick. The community is even more retarded. SMFH

[OrdinaryGentleman]

Yup fire department is not the good ole boys club any longer, harassment is the quickest way to get fired. If she asked them to stop then it's all on them. If she did not ask them to stop then that outcome is a grey area and leaning against her. Teasing is very much a part in the fire service. From what im hearing my notion is that they did exactly what you are not supposed to do. Whether they acted like assholes or not, it was up to her if she stopped it.
I don't like the idea of rape culture though, it's frankly bullshit because you take away power from actual victims of rape people who have legitimately been fucked against their will. It's trivializing harassment with rape.
For instance in Canada you have people speaking Spanish but it's not a Spanish speaking culture. Same with rape some rape happens, but it is not what defines the culture. Our media and politicians don't support it, but in that case you could argue that judges support it. Considering our beloved stanford rapist, upper class male. I have yet to think skin color has something to do but rather the fact he was very intelligent while still being a fucking asshole. If you look at a majority of cases in depth it is a fact that most got a just sentencing.

[JRICHARDS1996]

Assuming that the woman was automatically wrong and vilifying her was undoubtedly the wrong reaction. However, I would also counter that assuming the men were guilty based on her claims alone is also the wrong course of action. Women lie. This I know from personal experience. The best reaction would have been to investigate the story to see if there is any evidence that can tell them what truly happened.

[Anonymous]

Entering into such a workplace is entering a culture, a culture that very obviously doesn't condone rape, why should they have to change up everything they do to make her happy? And the response is perfect, instead of going at her, they just left. Simple message of not wanting anything to do with her without attacking her directly.

So being critical of a female human amounts to rape culture?

[vishna]

I didn't know firefighters were childish, perverted, inappropriate, and only men.
"So being critical of a female human amounts to rape culture?" I never said that, hence the title. Also, I don't think anyone was being simply critical of her as a human-they were being critical of her because she decided to speak up after having her balacava reportedly ejaculated on and having to endure hell with those childish and inappropriate people... which is apparently their "culture" Who cares if it's their "culture" they're in a professional job and they should have stopped showing porn when she came on board (it shouldn't have been played at all) because of plain decency.

[Opinion Owner]

"endure hell"
Everyone was getting along great without her.

She though it was childish and inappropriate, her. And besides, what a fucked up world this is when we can't be childish and have fun ffs. They did the jobs, doesn't matter what they get up to, they had a working dynamic and were saving lives, not hurting people and letting houses burn down.

Could have played porn could've not, it seemed to work for them whatever the case. Decency? For who? They were all okay with it, only she had the problem with it and they didn't have to include her in it and probably didn't. What they definitely shouldn't have to do is change everything up because a woman joined.. as if she's their moral superior just because she's a woman.

As if they all jerked off on her balaclava, sounds like a run-of-the-mill joke. If they did it should have been easy to prove.

[vishna]

Haha, ok, ok-I'll stop feeding the troll now.

[Opinion Owner]

In other words: Lalala, I'm not listening, anyone who disagrees with me must be a troll, lalala.

Nice.

[ClassicRocker]

Did I miss the rape?
I mean i kinda skimmed it, but this sounds more like sexual harassment.

[Saoirse_Nua]

First I have heard of the story - I think it is disgusting - Makes me ashamed to be a man - She should sue for millions.

[BruceJender]

Was it proven that the firemen Mia conducted or are we just going to assume the female firefighter is telling the truth?

[vishna]

She never tried to sue or anything but once the allegations came out, they quit at city hall. Things are better now, and the town has 4 women on the squad, 7 new men, a new chief, and the town is trying to move forward and end the bitterness.
www.cbc.ca/.../...ds-bay-fire-department-1.3458239
www.cbc.ca/.../...nt-miraculous-turnover-1.3492097

[FallOutBoy2001]

How is porn sexaul harrassment? We all watch it and that second clip sounds hilarious

[Waffles731]

That is fucked up

[vishna]

Isn't it though-all she wanted to do was fight fires and do her job.

[Waffles731]

Yeah, it really is. She just wanted to help people and they fuck with her,
As for the Anon down their,
My mother was an Airwoman First class in the U. S Air Force stationed in Texas and she was a Yankee, and SHE DIDN'T GET HARRASSED ANYWHERE NEAR THAT BAD.
It was like, Hey, look at the Yankee, she is in the wrong state (They all ended up liking her though) So if someone in my mother circumstances didn't get anywhere near that level of ire, then these 'firefighters' are pathetic

[vishna]

It's beyond me, it seems like something out of a TV show, but this actually happened... recently.

[Adigelunar]

1Thanks for sharing