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Blaming the Victim

Is blaming the victim a problem in our society?


  • Total voters
    26

Phys251

Purge evil with Justice
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Is blaming the victim a problem in our society?
 
Is blaming the victim a problem in our society?

Could you provide examples so slow, low information voters like me:doh can understand the question? Thank you.
 
Could you provide examples so slow, low information voters like me:doh can understand the question? Thank you.

Just vote no. The OP is a liberal. Everyone is a victim in liberal land.
 
It's not a problem unless you think that victims carry absolutely no responsibility, which I do not believe.

I think Newton said it best about what every action has.
 
Just vote no. The OP is a liberal. Everyone is a victim in liberal land.

Not true. People who do for themselves, take responsibility for themselves and want to keep what they have earned are the Evil ones that victimize everyone else in Liberal land.
 
It depends on what 'victim' you are referring to.

Of violent crimes, no.
Of discrimination? Iffy.
Of racism? I want incontrovertible proof.
 
Not true. People who do for themselves, take responsibility for themselves and want to keep what they have earned are the Evil ones that victimize everyone else in Liberal land.

Yeah, but victim is a term of art for them ;)
 
Could you provide examples so slow, low information voters like me:doh can understand the question? Thank you.

The most obvious example is the GOP cutting the food stamps program, which they portray as going to the lazy, when in reality they are used by the working poor and the increases in usage are directly because of the recession.
 
It depends on the situation. I think the OP's question is a bit overbroad. As sbrett said, there is certainly still a lot of antiquated ideas about condemning the victims of rape, and as DVS is trying to deny, there is a lot of blaming people for being born poor.

I think that we, as a country, care too much about blame and punishment. We devote too much energy to proving to ourselves why people who suffer deserve to suffer, instead of working to alleviate that suffering. This blame-centric mentality is central to our problems with criminal justice and the war on drugs, with our stance on women's reproductive rights and protecting them from rape, with our social safety nets and bringing the lowest classes up into a stable financial situation, and even in our foreign policy.

I think it stems from the Protestant and Puritan value system, and the obsession with sin and punishment. Fixing problems and helping people takes a back seat to condemnation. One more traditional value that we can do without.
 
It depends on the situation. I think the OP's question is a bit overbroad. As sbrett said, there is certainly still a lot of antiquated ideas about condemning the victims of rape, and as DVS is trying to deny, there is a lot of blaming people for being born poor.

I think that we, as a country, care too much about blame and punishment. We devote too much energy to proving to ourselves why people who suffer deserve to suffer, instead of working to alleviate that suffering. This blame-centric mentality is central to our problems with criminal justice and the war on drugs, with our stance on women's reproductive rights and protecting them from rape, with our social safety nets and bringing the lowest classes up into a stable financial situation, and even in our foreign policy.

I think it stems from the Protestant and Puritan value system, and the obsession with sin and punishment. Fixing problems and helping people takes a back seat to condemnation. One more traditional value that we can do without.

Or...perhaps it's because some people get sick of hearing excuses...
 
I think people playing the victim is much more of a problem than society blaming the victim.
 
Or...perhaps it's because some people get sick of hearing excuses...

No, I think it comes from a lot of self-aggrandizing. A holier than thou mentality applied to basically every aspect of life. That's definitely part of the Puritan value system that has been a part of our country since before it was even a country. It's also definitely a part of our values that were best left in the 1600's.
 
I think that we, as a country, care too much about blame and punishment. We devote too much energy to proving to ourselves why people who suffer deserve to suffer, instead of working to alleviate that suffering. This blame-centric mentality is central to our problems with criminal justice and the war on drugs, with our stance on women's reproductive rights and protecting them from rape, with our social safety nets and bringing the lowest classes up into a stable financial situation, and even in our foreign policy.

I agree with you completely. I don't get it. The worst part of this preoccupation with blame is that it stands in the way of solutions. It seems quite honestly only to serve a salve for the guilty conscience of people who want to turn their backs on others or as justification in their own minds for their selfishness. "See I don't have to do anything and I still get to be the good guy!" It makes no sense to me, people scream and whine about a problem, point the finger of blame and then walk away. How does that serve making the problem go away, which is what they claim to want?
 
Or...perhaps it's because some people get sick of hearing excuses...

What is the difference between an excuse and a valid explanation ? It seems to be called an excuse only when it serves an unwillingness to help others.
 
What is the difference between an excuse and a valid explanation ? It seems to be called an excuse only when it serves an unwillingness to help others.

Valid explanation: We're experiencing a lull in the economy, jobs are going away, and I'm having trouble fulfilling expectations of employers.

Excuse: Rich people suck, they're the reason why I don't have a job!
 
Just vote no. The OP is a liberal. Everyone is a victim in liberal land.

IMHO, unfair. That's another problem for another thread but automatically deciding to agree with or disagree with a position not based on its merits but rather on how we've pre-defined the poster is in my opinion a microcosm of one big problem with American politics today. In other words, it doesn't matter that much what a given problem is. What matters is finding out who's for or against it and then side with or against, as the case may be, team over principle.
 
it is every society's problem

dont wear mini dont get raped

dont look suspect dont get killed
 
The most obvious example is the GOP cutting the food stamps program, which they portray as going to the lazy, when in reality they are used by the working poor and the increases in usage are directly because of the recession.

...that almost is every case goes to families with children too young to work even if they wanted to.
 
IMHO, unfair. That's another problem for another thread but automatically deciding to agree with or disagree with a position not based on its merits but rather on how we've pre-defined the poster is in my opinion a microcosm of one big problem with American politics today. In other words, it doesn't matter that much what a given problem is. What matters is finding out who's for or against it and then side with or against, as the case may be, team over principle.

Stop blaming me. I am a victim.
 
Depends on what subject matter we are discussing. In many specific cases, yes, it is an enormous problem. Others, not so much.
 
Is blaming the victim a problem in our society?

I think in some cases solutions can be offered but blame assignment can cloud the issue and hinder people from considering better solutions because they're have been made to be preoccupied with being offended and defensive. I'll be the first to stand up and say I've been guilty of clouding issues by causing people to refuse to consider what I think are really good solutions because instead of being able to clearly see the value in my recommendations, as a consequence of how I explained the problem(s) they were too offended to think clearly about my suggestions. Proverbs 15:1
 
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