Penn State video on the veterans

This was posted by Penn State. The website itself had options to click on to look at different parts of the video, such as how did the professor do well in handling the veteran, how the administrator did well in listening to the professor, and so on. Yet the problem is that the veteran depicted here is a stereotypical one and the discussion about the realities of the changes in our veterans was not addressed. I am unsure if the psychology department was used in creating this video. If not, they should have been, and if so the department shows a complete lack of understanding. After a large outcry against the video Penn State pulled the site. But it is out on YouTube. You can also find video segments of faculty at the Office of Admissions at Penn State discussing parts of the video on YouTube as well.

The stereotype that veterans are dangerous and one step away from being the next killer in our midst is a real on that we come against often. We need to educate people that this is not who we are. One study looked at Vietnam Veterans and found that, contrary to stereotypes, they were not more likely to be criminals than non veterans. The researchers concluded that in fact they were more likely to be good citizens. What Vietnam Veterans ARE more likely to show is divorce rates, depression, suicide, and substance abuse.

Because this stereotype of the veteran exists we are sometimes robbed of our rights of being legitimately angry. We get angry when we perceive an affront to honor, justice, rights, etc... and sometimes this is warranted. Yet if coworkers, faculty, and other non veterans feel that this stereotype is true, whenever a veteran displays any anger at all (whether valid or not) they are treated as if they are one step from "going postal" (to use another stereotype that is damaging to a population... this case, postal workers).