Victim Blaming is what happens around the world when people are not grown up enough or well developed or sophisticated enough to deal with their emotions and to take full responsibility for their actions or are not self disciplined enough to realize they are harming others or coping with the fact that they just harmed or raped or killed someone.
Victim blaming
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Victim blaming occurs when the victim of a crime or any wrongful act is held entirely or partially responsible for the harm that befell them.
The study of victimology seeks to mitigate the perception of victims as responsible.[1] There is a greater tendency to blame victims of rape than victims of robbery in cases where victims and perpetrators know one another.[2]
Moynihan had concluded that three centuries of horrible treatment at the hands of whites, and in particular the uniquely cruel structure of American slavery as opposed to its Latin American counterparts, had created a long series of chaotic disruptions within the black family structure which, at the time of the report, manifested itself in high rates of unwed births, absent fathers, and single mother households in black families. Moynihan then correlated these familial outcomes, which he considered undesirable, to the relatively poorer rates of employment, educational achievement, and financial success found among the black population. Moynihan advocated the implementation of government programs designed to strengthen the black nuclear family.
Ryan objected that Moynihan then located the proximate cause of the plight of black Americans in the prevalence of a family structure in which the father was often sporadically, if at all, present, and the mother was often dependent on government aid to feed, clothe, and provide medical care for her children. Ryan's critique cast the Moynihan theories as attempts to divert responsibility for poverty from social structural factors to the behaviors and cultural patterns of the poor.[8][9]
The phrase "blaming the victim" was quickly adopted by advocates for crime victims, in particular rape victims accused of abetting their victimization (see Victimology), although this usage is conceptually distinct from the sociological critique developed by Ryan.[citation needed]
In 1947 Theodor W. Adorno defined what would be later called "blaming the victim," as "one of the most sinister features of the Fascist character".[11][12] Shortly thereafter Adorno and three other professors at the University of California, Berkeley formulated their influential and highly debated F-scale (F for fascist), published in The Authoritarian Personality (1950), which included among the fascist traits of the scale the "contempt for everything discriminated against or weak."[13] A typical expression of victim blaming is the "asking for it" idiom, e.g. "she was asking for it" said of a victim of violence or sexual assault.[14]
In context, Baumeister refers to the common behavior of the aggressor seeing themselves as more of the "victim" than the abused, justifying a horrific act by way of their "moral complexity". This usually stems from an "excessive sensitivity" to insults, which he finds as a consistent pattern in abusive husbands. Essentially, the abuse the perpetrator administers is generally excessive, in comparison to the act/acts that they claim as to have provoked them.[15]
In the United States, one of the most prevalent allegations against female victims of sexual assault is that wearing provocative dress stimulates sexual aggression in men who believe that women clothed in body-revealing dress are actively trying to seduce a sexual partner. The myth that victims are responsible for inviting their own sexual invasion is tied to collective misperceptions about women and provocative dress. Women who have been victimized are blamed as complicit in their own victimization because their style of dress is interpreted as sexually suggestive. Accusations against victims wrongly assume that provocative clothing conveys consent for sexual actions and that the only women who are targets of sexual assault wear attention grabbing revealing clothing. Despite the lack of evidence for a correlation between a revealing form of dress and any type of victimization,[17] the feminist movement has been unable to debunk the myth that women’s clothing has some bearing on whether or not they are likely to be raped.[18] It is evident that the American public strongly believes women’s dress plays a role in determining who is assaulted, but research has yet to prove that a victim’s attire is actually a significant causal factor.[19] In fact, there is some evidence that suggests, quite ironically, that women who wear more body-concealing clothing are actually at greater risk than women who dress provocatively. It has been found that rapists look for signs of passiveness and submissiveness in their victims. These traits are more often found in women who wear more conservative clothing. By dressing provocatively and exhibiting a degree of confidence, women may be less vulnerable to victimization.[19] Regardless of studies suggesting body-revealing clothes are not related to likelihood of being raped, victim blaming still dominates American culture, essentially victimizing the survivors of sexual assault for the second time.
Secondary victimization is the re-traumatization of the sexual assault, abuse, or rape victim through the responses of individuals and institutions. Types of secondary victimization include victim blaming and inappropriate post-assault behavior or language by medical personnel or other organizations with which the victim has contact.[20] Secondary victimization is especially common in cases of drug-facilitated, acquaintance, military sexual trauma and statutory rape.
In a case that became famous in 2011, an 11-year-old female rape victim who suffered repeated gang rapes in Cleveland, Texas, was accused by a defense attorney of being a seductress who lured men to their doom.[25] "Like the spider and the fly. Wasn't she saying, 'Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly?' ", he asked a witness.[25] The New York Times ran an article uncritically reporting on the way many in the community blamed the victim, for which the newspaper later apologized.[25][26]
In a case that attracted worldwide coverage, when a woman was raped and killed in India in December 2012, some Indian government officials and political leaders blamed the victim for her outfit and being out late at night.[27]
The study of victimology seeks to mitigate the perception of victims as responsible.[1] There is a greater tendency to blame victims of rape than victims of robbery in cases where victims and perpetrators know one another.[2]
Contents
Coining of the phrase; Racism
William Ryan coined the phrase "blaming the victim" in his 1971 book Blaming the Victim.[3][4][5][6][7] In the book, Ryan described victim blaming as an ideology used to justify racism and social injustice against black people in the United States.[6] Ryan wrote the book to refute Daniel Patrick Moynihan's 1965 work The Negro Family: The Case for National Action (usually simply referred to as the Moynihan Report).Moynihan had concluded that three centuries of horrible treatment at the hands of whites, and in particular the uniquely cruel structure of American slavery as opposed to its Latin American counterparts, had created a long series of chaotic disruptions within the black family structure which, at the time of the report, manifested itself in high rates of unwed births, absent fathers, and single mother households in black families. Moynihan then correlated these familial outcomes, which he considered undesirable, to the relatively poorer rates of employment, educational achievement, and financial success found among the black population. Moynihan advocated the implementation of government programs designed to strengthen the black nuclear family.
Ryan objected that Moynihan then located the proximate cause of the plight of black Americans in the prevalence of a family structure in which the father was often sporadically, if at all, present, and the mother was often dependent on government aid to feed, clothe, and provide medical care for her children. Ryan's critique cast the Moynihan theories as attempts to divert responsibility for poverty from social structural factors to the behaviors and cultural patterns of the poor.[8][9]
The phrase "blaming the victim" was quickly adopted by advocates for crime victims, in particular rape victims accused of abetting their victimization (see Victimology), although this usage is conceptually distinct from the sociological critique developed by Ryan.[citation needed]
History
Although Ryan popularized the phrase, the phenomenon of victim blaming is well established in human psychology and history;[10] for instance there are plenty of examples in the Old Testament in which tragedies and catastrophes are justified and blamed on the victims for their faults as sinners.[10]In 1947 Theodor W. Adorno defined what would be later called "blaming the victim," as "one of the most sinister features of the Fascist character".[11][12] Shortly thereafter Adorno and three other professors at the University of California, Berkeley formulated their influential and highly debated F-scale (F for fascist), published in The Authoritarian Personality (1950), which included among the fascist traits of the scale the "contempt for everything discriminated against or weak."[13] A typical expression of victim blaming is the "asking for it" idiom, e.g. "she was asking for it" said of a victim of violence or sexual assault.[14]
Opposing views
Roy Baumeister, a social and personality psychologist, argued that blaming the victim is not necessarily always fallacious. He argued that showing the victim's possible role in an altercation may be contrary to typical explanations of violence and cruelty, which incorporate the trope of the innocent victim. According to Baumeister, in the classic telling of "the myth of pure evil," the innocent, well-meaning victims are going about their business when they are suddenly assaulted by wicked, malicious evildoers. Baumeister describes the situation as a possible distortion by both the perpetrator and the victim; the perpetrator may minimize the offense while the victim maximizes it, and so accounts of the incident shouldn't be immediately taken as objective truths.In context, Baumeister refers to the common behavior of the aggressor seeing themselves as more of the "victim" than the abused, justifying a horrific act by way of their "moral complexity". This usually stems from an "excessive sensitivity" to insults, which he finds as a consistent pattern in abusive husbands. Essentially, the abuse the perpetrator administers is generally excessive, in comparison to the act/acts that they claim as to have provoked them.[15]
Secondary victimization of sexual assault victims
A rape victim is especially stigmatized in cultures with strong customs and taboos regarding sex and sexuality. For example, society may view a rape victim (especially one who was previously a virgin) as "damaged". Victims in these cultures may suffer isolation, be disowned by friends and family, be prohibited from marrying, be divorced if already married, or even killed.[16]In the United States, one of the most prevalent allegations against female victims of sexual assault is that wearing provocative dress stimulates sexual aggression in men who believe that women clothed in body-revealing dress are actively trying to seduce a sexual partner. The myth that victims are responsible for inviting their own sexual invasion is tied to collective misperceptions about women and provocative dress. Women who have been victimized are blamed as complicit in their own victimization because their style of dress is interpreted as sexually suggestive. Accusations against victims wrongly assume that provocative clothing conveys consent for sexual actions and that the only women who are targets of sexual assault wear attention grabbing revealing clothing. Despite the lack of evidence for a correlation between a revealing form of dress and any type of victimization,[17] the feminist movement has been unable to debunk the myth that women’s clothing has some bearing on whether or not they are likely to be raped.[18] It is evident that the American public strongly believes women’s dress plays a role in determining who is assaulted, but research has yet to prove that a victim’s attire is actually a significant causal factor.[19] In fact, there is some evidence that suggests, quite ironically, that women who wear more body-concealing clothing are actually at greater risk than women who dress provocatively. It has been found that rapists look for signs of passiveness and submissiveness in their victims. These traits are more often found in women who wear more conservative clothing. By dressing provocatively and exhibiting a degree of confidence, women may be less vulnerable to victimization.[19] Regardless of studies suggesting body-revealing clothes are not related to likelihood of being raped, victim blaming still dominates American culture, essentially victimizing the survivors of sexual assault for the second time.
Secondary victimization is the re-traumatization of the sexual assault, abuse, or rape victim through the responses of individuals and institutions. Types of secondary victimization include victim blaming and inappropriate post-assault behavior or language by medical personnel or other organizations with which the victim has contact.[20] Secondary victimization is especially common in cases of drug-facilitated, acquaintance, military sexual trauma and statutory rape.
Rape shield laws
Main article: Rape shield law
In the United States and Canada, rape is unique in that it is the
only crime in which there are statutory protections designed in favor of
the accuser. These were enacted in response to the common defense
tactic of "putting the accuser on trial". Typical rape shield laws
prohibit cross-examination of the accuser (alleged victim) with respect
to certain issues, such as his or her prior sexual history, or the
manner in which he or she was dressed at the time of the rape. Most
states and the federal rules, however, provide exceptions to the rape
shield law where evidence of prior sexual history is used to provide an
alternative explanation for physical evidence, where the defendant and
the alleged victim had a prior consensual sexual relationship, and where
exclusion of evidence would violate the defendant's constitutional
rights.[citation needed]Examples
In 2005, Australian Muslim preacher Feiz Mohammad gave a speech in Australia that was covered in Europe and the U.S.[citation needed] in which he blamed women themselves for being rape victims.[21][22] He said: "A victim of rape every minute somewhere in the world. Why? No one to blame but herself. She displayed her beauty to the entire world... Strapless, backless, sleeveless, showing their legs, nothing but satanic skirts, slit skirts, translucent blouses, miniskirts, tight jeans: all this to tease man and appeal to his carnal nature.[23][24]In a case that became famous in 2011, an 11-year-old female rape victim who suffered repeated gang rapes in Cleveland, Texas, was accused by a defense attorney of being a seductress who lured men to their doom.[25] "Like the spider and the fly. Wasn't she saying, 'Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly?' ", he asked a witness.[25] The New York Times ran an article uncritically reporting on the way many in the community blamed the victim, for which the newspaper later apologized.[25][26]
In a case that attracted worldwide coverage, when a woman was raped and killed in India in December 2012, some Indian government officials and political leaders blamed the victim for her outfit and being out late at night.[27]
See also
- Backlash (sociology)
- Blame
- Bullying
- Contributory negligence
- Cognitive bias
- Denial
- Demonization
- Just-world hypothesis
- Labeling theory
- Negativity effect
- Penal couple
- Psychological projection
- Rationalization (making excuses)
- Scapegoating
- Self-serving bias
- Schadenfreude
- Shame
- Slut-shaming
- Stoning of Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow
- Victim playing
- Victimisation
- Victimology
Notes
- Fox, K. A.; Cook, C. L. (2011). "Is Knowledge Power? The Effects of a Victimology Course on Victim Blaming". Journal of Interpersonal Violence. doi:10.1177/0886260511403752.
- Bieneck, S.; Krahe, B. (2010). "Blaming the Victim and Exonerating the Perpetrator in Cases of Rape and Robbery: Is There a Double Standard?". Journal of Interpersonal Violence 26 (9): 1785–97. doi:10.1177/0886260510372945. PMID 20587449.
- ISBN 9780394417264
- Cole (2007) pp.111, 149, 213
- Downs (1998) p. 24
- Kirkpatrick (1987) p. 219
- Kent (2003)
- Illinois state U. archives.
- Ryan, William (1976). Blaming the Victim. Vintage. ISBN 0-394-72226-4.[page needed]
- Robinson (2002) p.141
- Adorno, TW (1947) Wagner, Nietzsche and Hitler in Kenyon Review Vol.ix (1), p. 158
- James Martin Harding (1997) Adorno and "A writing of the ruins": essays on modern aesthetics and Anglo-American literature and culture, p.143 quotation: "The mechanisms of this ideological affinity between Baraka and Wagner can be seen in a short critique of Wagner that Adorno wrote directly after the Second World War—at a time when Adorno was perhaps his most direct in singling out the proto-fascist tendencies in Wagner's corpus and character. Adorno criticizes Wagner's having bated his conductor Herman Levi so that he would seem to bear the responsibility for Wagner's subsequent insulting dismissal of him. This, for Adorno, is a classic example of blaming the victim. The anti-Semitic sub-text to the dismissal, viz., that as a Jew Levi supposedly desired and brought the dismissal upon himself, "bears witness to the existence of one of the most sinister features of the Fascist character even in Wagner's time: the paranoid tendency of projecting upon others one's own violent aggressiveness and then indicting, on the basis of this projection, those whom one endows with pernicious qualities" (Adorno "Wagner, Nietzsche and Hitler" 158)."
- Adorno and the political By Espen Hammer p.63
- Nicky Ali Jackson (22 February 2007). Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence. Taylor & Francis. pp. 715–. ISBN 978-0-203-94221-5. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- Baumeister, Roy (1999). Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty. Holt. ISBN 0-8050-7165-2.[page needed]
- "Factsheets: Trauma of Victimization – Secondary Injuries". Svfreenyc.org. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
- Moor, Abigail (2010). "She Dresses to Attract, He Perceives Seduction: A Gender Gap in Attribution of Intent to Women’s Revealing Style of Dress and its Relation to Blaming the Victims of Sexual Violence". .” Journal of International Women’s Studies 11 (4): 115–127.
- Valenti, Jessica. /slutwalks-and-the-future-of-feminism/2011/06/01/AGjB9LIH_story.html "SlutWalks and the Future of Feminism". Newspaper Article. Washington Post. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- Beiner, Theresa (2007). "Sexy Dressing Revisited: Does Target Dress Play a Part in Sexual Harassment Cases?". Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy 14: 125–152.
- Campbell, R.; Raja, S. (1999). "Secondary victimization of rape victims: insights from mental health professionals who treat survivors of violence". Violence and Victims 14 (3): 261–275. PMID 10606433.
- "Aussie cleric Feiz Mohammad calls for beheading of Dutch MP Geert Wilders". The Australian. 3 September 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- "Oz Muslim leaders criticise Islamic cleric's 'call for beheading' Dutch politician". Sify.com. 6 September 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- "Muslim cleric: women incite men's lust with 'satanic dress'", by Miranda Devine, The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 April 2005.
- Miranda Devine. "How a vile sermon of ignorance has done Australia a big favour". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- Adams, Sam (29 November 2012). "Cleveland, Texas rape case: Defense attorney calls pre-teen victim a spider, but that's his job". Slate. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- "NY Times Defends Victim Blaming Coverage of Child Rape Case". Mediabistro.com. 10 March 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- "Amid rape fiasco, India’s leaders keep up insensitive remarks". Washington Post. 4 January 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
References
- Cole, Alyson Manda (2007) The cult of true victimhood: from the war on welfare to the war on terror
- Downs, Donald Alexander (1998) More Than Victims: Battered Women, the Syndrome Society, and the Law
- George Kent (2003). "Blaming the Victim, Globally". UN Chronicle online (United Nations Department of Public Information) XL (3). Archived from the original on 24 Dec 2003.
- Kirkpatrick, George R. and Katsiaficas, George N. and Kirkpatrick, Robert George and Emery, Mary Lou (1987) Introduction to critical sociology
- Robinson, Daniel N. (2002) Praise And Blame: Moral Realism and Its Applications
Further reading
- Durham, Meenakshi G. (February 2013). ""Vicious assault shakes Texas town": the politics of gender violence in The New York Times' coverage of a schoolgirl's gang rape". Journalism Studies (Taylor & Francis Online) 14 (1): 1–12. doi:10.1080/1461670X.2012.657907.
- Janoffbulman, R (1985). "Cognitive biases in blaming the victim". Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 21 (2): 161–177. doi:10.1016/0022-1031(85)90013-7.
- Maes, JüRgen (1994). "Blaming the victim: Belief in control or belief in justice?". Social Justice Research 7: 69–90. doi:10.1007/BF02333823.
- McCaul, Kevin D.; Veltum, Lois G.; Boyechko, Vivian; Crawford, Jacqueline J. (1990). "Understanding Attributions of Victim Blame for Rape: Sex, Violence, and Foreseeability1". Journal of Applied Social Psychology 20: 1–26. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1990.tb00375.x.
- Summers, Gertrude; Feldman, Nina S. (1984). "Blaming the Victim Versus Blaming the Perpetrator: An Attributional Analysis of Spouse Abuse". Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 2 (4): 339–47. doi:10.1521/jscp.1984.2.4.339.
External links
- Ofer Zur – Rethinking 'Don't Blame the Victim': The Psychology of Victimhood
- Victim Blame and Sexual Assault
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end quot from
victim blaming
My definition of victim blaming would be a temporary or permanent type of insanity usually around not being fully aware of the consequences of ones sexuality and ones sexual actions. OR a delusional state someone enters into with a type of memory loss afterwards.
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