Why does society have this “blame the victim” mentality?
Your phone was stolen out of your bag? You probably weren’t paying enough attention to your stuff.
Your boyfriend cheated on you? Well, you should have known better than to go out with that jerk in the first place.
You were raped? Maybe you shouldn’t have been wearing that miniskirt then.
Your husband beat you? It’s your own fault for letting him get away with it.
When you start placing the blame – even just a part of it – on the victim, you take away the responsibility of the perpetrators to behave like decent human beings.
How about, don’t steal? Don’t cheat? Don’t rape? Don’t hit your wife?
Yes, the reality of this world is that people generally suck and are not to be trusted. But we should stop blaming the very individuals whose rights have been violated. How about blaming the violators – and only the violators – instead?
