What, exactly, is "victim blaming"?
Victim blaming is a devaluing act where the victim of a crime, an accident, or any type of abusive maltreatment is held as wholly or partially responsible for the wrongful conduct committed against them. Victim blaming can appear in the form of negative social reactions from legal, medical, and mental health professionals, as well as from the media and immediate family members and other acquaintances. Traditionally, victim-blaming has emerged in racist and sexist forms. The reason for victim blaming can be attributed to THE misconceptions about victims, perpetrators, and the nature of violent acts.
-http://definitions.uslegal.com/v/victim-blaming/
-http://definitions.uslegal.com/v/victim-blaming/
- "Women must protect themselves because men can't help themselves."
- "She shouldn't have been walking home alone overnight"
- "She just made it up."
- "She's ruining his life, he has so many prospects."
- "She is a slut."
Rape culture can be defined as “a culture in which dominant cultural ideologies, media images, social practices, and societal institutions support and condone sexual abuse by normalizing, trivializing and eroticizing male violence against women and blaming victims for their own abuse” (Huffington Post).
Popular culture promotes victim blaming and rape culture in popular songs, satirical television shows, and jokes. Victim blaming, “putting blame for the occurrence of a traumatizing event on the survivor instead of blaming the perpetrator” (Humboldt State University: Stop Rape). Modern vocabulary, unintentionally embedded with victim-blaming ideologies can range anywhere from condemning a victim for her choice of attire, or for her level of intoxication. These social excuses for rape are threads that weave together the fabric of victim blaming.
Popular culture promotes victim blaming and rape culture in popular songs, satirical television shows, and jokes. Victim blaming, “putting blame for the occurrence of a traumatizing event on the survivor instead of blaming the perpetrator” (Humboldt State University: Stop Rape). Modern vocabulary, unintentionally embedded with victim-blaming ideologies can range anywhere from condemning a victim for her choice of attire, or for her level of intoxication. These social excuses for rape are threads that weave together the fabric of victim blaming.
The unfortunate issues of victim blaming are due to a variety of different phenomena. Many rape cases are not being reported. In fact, less than half of all rape cases are actually reported. Therefore, rapists aren’t being sent to jail. Did you know only 3% of rapists spend even a day in jail? On many college campuses, victims are treated in an openly hostile way: campus rate rape statistics haven’t changed at all in the past decade. Often, rape victims are accused of lying; students believe up to 50% of rape cases are fabricated, when in fact, only 2-8% of charges may be made up.