Mr. Caulfield goes to Congress:
QuoteCongressman: 'Fifty Shades' popularity shows Guantánamo prisoners are 'phonies'
By CAROL ROSENBERG
[email protected]
A member of Congress said Tuesday he disclosed the popularity of the erotic sometimes sadomasochistic series Fifty Shades of Grey among Guantánamo's most prized prisoners not to titillate but to set straight for their global followers that they were not devout holy warriors passing their Ramadan reading the Quran.
"It demystifies them. It exposes them for who they actually are," said Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., in a telephone interview that sought to set straight that the captives in the secretive Camp 7 complex are "not exactly holy warriors. Just the opposite. These people are phonies."
Moran first disclosed the reading preference at Guantánamo's most secretive prison, which houses former CIA captives like alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed, to The Huffington Post after a July 26 visit to the base. He said the "factoid" was somehow misinterpreted as salacious, or an abuse of U.S. funds, rather than offering what he called "some profound insight."
"They're not the people anyone should be strapping on suicide vests for. They're not the people who understand Mohammed's meaning more than anyone else," said Moran, adding, "I don't want this seen as I'm trying to manipulate public opinion."
What made the disclosure so odd is that, during media visits to the trailers that house the prison camp's collection of about 18,000 books, many of them religious, the Defense Department contractor in charge, Milton, says he systematically forbids the circulation of books and videos that are either lascivious or exceptionally violent..
The Herald contacted Moran on vacation after a prison camps spokeswoman, Army Capt. Andi Hahn, checked with the Army officer in charge of the detention center library and replied that the Fifty Shades of Grey series is a "prohibited" book.
The Herald asked the congressman whether members of the U.S. military were perhaps playing a practical joke on him inside Camp 7, where the conversation took place.
Camp 7, which is run by a secret separate staff, Task Force Platinum, contains captives who got to Guantánamo in 2006 from years of CIA custody, where at least three were waterboarded. They include the five alleged conspirators in the Sept. 11 terror attacks, who devotedly unfurl their prayer rugs and conduct Muslim prayers at the appointed times inside the war court during pre-trial hearings in their death-penalty cases.
Only members of Congress with security clearance get to see the secret prison.
"I asked, 'What kind of books do they read?' " Moran said Tuesday. "The camp commander said, actually the book in greatest demand is Fifty Shades of Grey — in fact the whole series. They all smiled and nodded and it wasn't as though this was a particular secret."
They also told him, Moran said, that some Camp 7 captives were not observing the Ramadan fast.
Moran said he has long favored exposing the Pentagon prisoners to great works of Western literature, and had asked the same questions in the less secretive prisons containing the 150 or so other prisoners, 84 of them approved for release or transfer in 2010. In those prison, the troops responded more generically that detainees who broke the rules get to keep just two library books in their cells while cooperative, communal captives get to borrow eight at a time.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/06/3546631/congressman-fifty-shades-popularity.html#storylink=cpy
I hope the military was pulling Representative Moran's legs. These poor souls have suffered enough without having to be exposed to fan-fiction. :(
At least they never had to suffer through Anne Frank furry.
Quote from: katmai on August 07, 2013, 01:24:38 PM
At least they never had to suffer through Anne Frank furry.
Anne Frank furry snuff pron :contract:
Moran.
Quote from: The Brain on August 07, 2013, 01:38:10 PM
Moran.
:D
And hey, even holy warriors have to polish their knobs from time to time.
I thought the thesis should be that, if they like 50 Shades, they like S&M, and so are enjoying their stay in Gitmo. :P
Quote from: Malthus on August 07, 2013, 02:56:12 PM
I thought the thesis should be that, if they like 50 Shades, they like S&M, and so are enjoying their stay in Gitmo. :P
Because everyone who's a sadist is also a masochist? Oh, wait, they are reading Fifty Shades so I think it does prove they are masochistic.
Quote from: Malthus on August 07, 2013, 02:56:12 PM
I thought the thesis should be that, if they like 50 Shades, they like S&M, and so are enjoying their stay in Gitmo. :P
No, it just showed they get off on humiliating and torturing women.
Haven't read Fiddy Shades, but isn't the stuff in there consensual?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfSZ-yb0nu4
Quote from: The Brain on August 07, 2013, 03:17:35 PM
Haven't read Fiddy Shades, but isn't the stuff in there consensual?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfSZ-yb0nu4
I think the fantasy bit is "I wish my wife liked it when I torture her".
Quote from: The Brain on August 07, 2013, 03:17:35 PM
Haven't read Fiddy Shades, but isn't the stuff in there consensual?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfSZ-yb0nu4
:D
Quote from: The Brain on August 07, 2013, 03:17:35 PM
Haven't read Fiddy Shades, but isn't the stuff in there consensual?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfSZ-yb0nu4
Bah,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WahBH9sANg
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K1RcKJVbHA
and for Seedy.
God's narration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvX6LkbiS-U
I'm a little disturbed at the prospect of us only holding phony terrorists.
Everybody's just folks.
Quote'Fifty Shades of Grey' promotes violence against women, study says
"Fifty Shades of Grey" isn't just a fun, racy read, according to a new study that finds the bestseller glamorizes violence against women.
Analyzing the naughty novel, psychologists at Michigan State University and Ohio State University concluded that its characters' behaviors are consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's official definition of intimate partner violence — and that the book perpetuates dangerous abuse patterns.
Intimate partner violence is pervasive in the novel, "occurring in nearly every interaction" between its protagonists, said Ohio State University researcher Amy Bonomi, lead author of the report, which was published Monday in the Journal of Women's Health.
Written by British author E.L. James and published in 2011, "Fifty Shades" describes the relationship between multimillionaire Christian Grey and college student Anastasia Steele. The book contains explicit scenes depicting bondage and discipline, domination and submission, and sadomasochism, or BDSM. But the study had issues beyond the bedroom scenes.
After hearing all the buzz about the book, Bonomi and her colleagues decided to take a "systematic approach to understanding the abuse patterns" in Christian and Anastasia's relationship, analyzing abuse tactics in the first 124 pages of the book to see how they measured up with the CDC's standard.
According to the federal agency's guidelines, intimate partner violence includes "physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse." Physical violence includes acts such as slapping and choking, while sexual violence entails forced sex acts, often induced through the use of alcohol or other drugs. Psychological or emotional abuse can involve humiliation, social isolation and stalking.
The book depicts multiple elements of such abuse, Bonomi said. Additionally, Anastasia "suffers reactions typical of abused women," changing her behavior to maintain peace in the relationship and, over time, becoming disempowered and socially isolated.
For example, the researchers pointed out, she withholds information about her plans to visit friends and family members and avoids social outings so as not to anger Christian. "That is exactly what we see in women in abusive relationships," Bonomi said. "The abuser is very good at controlling social connections by intimidating the victim."
Bonomi said also that it's wrong to consider the book a depiction of a healthy BDSM relationship. In consensual BDSM relationships, partners take negotiations seriously and respect each others' boundaries, she said. In "Fifty Shades," she noted, Christian bullies Anastasia and plies her with alcohol to coerce her into sexual acts that she finds uncomfortable.
"Consenting BDSM relationships are fine," Bonomi said. "But the relationship we see between Christian and Anastasia is different. What we see in them is a clear pattern of abuse."
Cris Sullivan, who researches gender-based violence at Michigan State University and wasn't involved in the study, agreed, explaining that Anastasia is in the relationship "not because she enjoys it, but because she's trying to keep the man" — reinforcing a message "that is very pervasive in our society."
"That's not a message we want to keep sending to women or men," Sullivan said. "I'm hoping [the study] will lead people to talk and think about the book a little more critically than just a hot little summer read."
The study authors don't call for the novel to be banned, but rather for "a greater societal awareness of the abuse occurring in the book," Bonomi said. "This is really a teachable moment when we should be talking with young people about what abuse is and what are some of the strategies to prevent it."
Intimate partner violence affects around 35% of women globally, the World Health Organization reported in June.
"Fifty Shades of Grey" is the first in a trilogy that has sold more than 70 million copies worldwide and ranks as the fastest-selling paperback of all time. A film adaptation is in the works.
In the end it was no more than a teachable moment. Congressman Moran should have been proud of our system. :)
It warms the heart how they jump on the fiddy bandwagon to get some attention for their careers, and dress it up like they give a fuck.
Wait so BDSM fantasy stories are not good models for relationships? Well damn there goes my whole life plan.
I bought a leg spreader bar. :)
Quote from: Ed Anger on August 13, 2013, 02:22:46 PM
I bought a leg spreader bar. :)
Yes but for you it's a medical necessity.