How the US uses sexual humiliation as a political tool to control the masses

As more and more of this crap legislation gets passed, our abilities to peacefully protest government wrongs are being taken away. Therefore I think they are pushing us to the only thing that will get something accomplished; a thing our Founding Fathers provisioned in the Constitution for just such a purpose...The right to bear arms. It is getting closer to that time, whether you realize it or not. This is something I am personally interested in, and I have been trying to keep my finger on the pulse of the nation in this regard, and many would be surprised to learn that there are quite a few "unhappy" citizens right now...But, it will take the majority of the country to succeed, and there are still too many people who are not willing to risk their "freedom", HAHA, to make things right.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but I can not really see the connection nudity-sexual humiliation? If the officer were humping the subject while removing the clothes or making indecent comments I would get it, but now?

I'm not trying to be funny/smart about this, It is just that although I can see how a lot of people would feel uncomfortable being naked in front of strangers, I can not really see anything sexual about it.

I just don't see how it would work considering the media has conditioned everyone to be shameless regarding sex.
Put me in a room full of women naked. I'd be all like.....wassup?

reply to post by jlv70


What is sexual about being strip searched? Not a sexual experience for many I am thinking. Embarassing? Yes. Inconvenient ? Yes. Sexaul ? A big fat NO.
Sexual usually has something to do with sex. Lets not get confused. Taking off your clothes can be sexual but its not always. I take mine off every night to change into my pj's. I take them off to shower. I take my kids clothes off to bathe them too. Nothing sexual about any of that undressing.
Not that I think having a stranger search you naked is a joy. I am just saying its not sexual is all.

What truely gets me is how ATS didn't have the court ruling as like headlines for a week straight.
Did any even hit the front page for a hour?

What a disingenious group of people to be so concerned about a 4% increase in taxes for the wealthiest of americans, but not say a damn peep about any cop being able to ram a hand up your butt should you get caught without your license while driving or some other trivial stuff.

One reason to not contribute as much to the political nonsense here on ATS...loaded down with neocon shills that cheer on our destruction and bring focus to the most insane chatter as a distraction.


About this ops.
Yes, fear and humiliation works well. You think those sex offender lists are there to make you feel safe? heh..nope..its to freak you out right in your neighborhood. And now the forced nudity should you step out of line even a little.

We are a prudish nation, no doubt, but we are also hypocrites to an insane degree. I see the fixation for crime and punishment to be telling of our collective mindsets.

4 to 5 vote. straight down partisan lines...its hard not to become partisan with such a result, but will simply stop here before I start.

Originally posted by karen61057
reply to post by jlv70

 

What is sexual about being strip searched? Not a sexual experience for many I am thinking. Embarassing? Yes. Inconvenient ? Yes. Sexaul ? A big fat NO.
Sexual usually has something to do with sex. Lets not get confused. Taking off your clothes can be sexual but its not always. I take mine off every night to change into my pj's. I take them off to shower. I take my kids clothes off to bathe them too. Nothing sexual about any of that undressing.
Not that I think having a stranger search you naked is a joy. I am just saying its not sexual is all.

Sexual humiliation does not have to include flowers and condoms..being forcably stripped down in front of someone = just that. Your kids don't have the "shame" or whatever of an adult.
Would you do the same to a teenage son or daughter? Why not? Oh..right..because their sexual identity has indeed developed.

See the difference now?

reply to post by pimpinette


When seeking to understand why one situation involving nudity or procedures pertaining to the reproductive parts can be sexually neutral, while another may be sexually charged, it pays to examine differences in context and power dynamics.

A visit to the proctologist:

Context: a necessary procedure performed in a safe environment.
Patient/Doctor relationship is (ideally) predicated on trust and respect.

A routine traffic stop that entails a cavity search:

Context: an unnecessary, humiliating procedure performed in a hostile environment.
Massive power imbalance between the two parties is readily apparent.

If we do agree that these measures have limited effectiveness outside of a very narrow context (penal institutions and the like) and an unqualified negative psychological impact, why are they being pushed onto the general population?

If you ignore the strong current of sexual control being put into play here, you are failing to recall how our gonads have been leveraged against us by ruling bodies since time immemorial.

reply to post by Eidolon23

Thanks for taking the time to explain. I do see the difference in the situations, and I do agree with you about everything up until the part where you say it is sexual. Sorry

I do think it is a lot of power play going on, like asking someone to sit on the ground so the officer is on another level, but even stronger of course. I also think it is an unneccesary procedure, in most cases.

If it would happen to me, I would refuse to feel an added sexual context to it, and I would recommend anyone else to try to do the same. It is the skin you live in nothing more, nothing less. Eventhough, I can see how this would be hard for someone who have had a very prudish upbringing, always confusing nudity with sex.

But you can only be controlled by a thing like this, if you let yourself be controlled by it.

reply to post by jlv70


I'm also a fan of Naomi Wolf. However, there's something bigger going on here. Usually when governments get into rape and humiliation tactics to maintain control it turns into civil war and government overthrow... or worse, Nazi prison camps, torture, and ultimately GENOCIDE. And yea, our military is now engaged in killing US citizens.

So whats truly disturbing in this trend is that the USA has the technology and the FEMA camps already setup to track, monitor, arrest, torture, rape, and KILL 99% of its own population. The terrorism done with our taxes has gotten so far out of control that the dirty birds are coming home to roost... and torture and kill. Anyone else find a "red dot" on their mailbox?


And seriously there are 1000s of stories of torture in our jails too. Now its like the government is getting way-out of control into the absurd just seeing who dares speak out or protest. The FEMA camps are built. Are you ready to die for freedom? Or just die for someone's $? Give me freedom or give me death (wiki).

The thing that bugs me about this is the fact that if i want to be naked (case in point the guy at the airport) i cant but if they want me to be naked i have to be. This is BS

Many people are confusing a strip search to a body cavity search. I have been strip searched once, and no one touched me. It is a very common procedure if you are booked into a county jail. Keep up the fear mongering folks, it is going to bite you in the backside come election time.

reply to post by rtyfx


Well I know the purpose. I used to work in a mental facility and yes, I saw things come in some weird places - some patients like to get in and then cut themselves, so I've seen razor blades get braided into African American hair - hair you normally would NOT unbraid in a search, KWIM?

Saw it laced into shoes, put into soles, in orifaces of every type they come in. BLEH

But we'd do it in such a way as to do our best to minimize any humiliation. We'd give them a sheet in a private room with same sex staff and have them put their clothes on a table and don a hospital gown while we checked their clothes, removed their shoe-strings ect. We'd try really, really hard to let folks have their dignity, and we NEVER did body cavity searches unless the person had a history of bringing in contraband.

My MIL - who was 64 or so, got arrested after she had a car wreck that caused someone to die. The charges were dropped completely, but at the time she was arrested, my local police, who everyone knows are kinda crazy....they really humiliated her and did a full body cavity search. She was only held a few hours and in that few hours, she was pretty traumatized. She had just got out of the hospital too.

She went from supporting the police to HATING them. Just loathing them. I think if they ever tried to mess with her again, as far along in life as she is now, with chronic pain from that wreck, she'd just start shooting.

we are completely and utterly binded to this system, to the point where in suspect of a crime, you can be told to get nude by order of the state.

LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!!!!!

I'm freaking amazed that not all people were being strip searched before being booked into jail. Seems like common sense. Cops are not going to strip search you for speeding, only if you are arrested, and put in jail. I'm surprised everyone's hackles are up, seems like the right thing to do for the safety of other prisoners. I've never gone to jail... Anyone here that has care to chime in and tell us if you were strip searched?

Well, they strip search on my 64 year old mother in law- and, as I said in my previous search- did a body cavity search. All charges were dropped in her case, and she was never convicted of anything, and now hates the cops with a vengence.

Before 911 - like in the 80s - and people still had guns and knives back then, lol - my husband went to jail a few times, never had to stay long. He said the cops were nice to him - telling him not to worry, he'd get probation or the charges probably wouldn't stick. (They never did.) He said they didn't strip search him on any of the ...ahem...several...occasions he went. None of those charges ever stuck.

Since 911, I know one other person that has went, and I just asked him, and he got the strip search/body cavity search. I know one of the occupiers that was arrested, and he was strip searched.

reply to post by hadriana

My MIL - who was 64 or so, got arrested after she had a car wreck that caused someone to die. The charges were dropped completely, but at the time she was arrested, my local police, who everyone knows are kinda crazy....they really humiliated her and did a full body cavity search.

I can imagine a body cavity search would be very humiliating.

And here is where I will be a hypocrite. I think strip searches are pretty much fine, body cavity searches only on those with histories. I get that there is some slippery slope-age.

People need to realize, that of all the people that go to jail, with charges, only some of them are found guilty.

I think people tend to think if you go to jail, you are guilty of something and deserve it.

But that's not true...don't know the stats but would like to know - arrests that convert to guilty verdicts -

Truth is, I live in one of those 'Wonderful Whites of West Virginia" type families. My nephew went to jail again just the other night...it's embarrassing and kinda funny all at the same time... it gets to the point if you belong to one of these families, just being out and about might get you taken in, maybe to keep a fight or murder from happening later that night, dunno.

But hardly EVER do charges stick. Even the bad charges, like first degree murder. Had 3 times as many relatives arrested for that as was ever found guilty. In fact, 2 of them never went to court for it.

Originally posted by BubbaJoe
I have been strip searched once, and no one touched me. It is a very common procedure if you are booked into a county jail. Keep up the fear mongering folks, it is going to bite you in the backside come election time.

1) It doesn't matter if you are touched or not, being forced to disrobe is already a humilation with sexual elements and a form of dominance/psychological attack. If you were a woman in particular you would understand this intuitively but its bad for men, too.

2) Election? lol wut? I don't give a rats' posteror about the election and I don't see what that has to do with this topic.