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Blaming a Victim Misses The Point
People love to project blame onto victims. Part of this is because, while we can’t always control how others treat us, we can control our own actions. Regardless, reattributing blame, or trying to share blame between two parties, minimizes the severity of the action. It makes it, on some levels, okay.
There’s been a lot of this on social media. From victims of racial profiling, sexual assault/harassment, and idea theft, too many people are blaming the victim to various degrees and it’s misplaced. Here’s two reasons why blaming “both sides” or the victim is misplaced.
It’s About Entitlement & Perpetuating Entitlement
When a person gropes another or makes sexually explicit comments without the other party’s permission it comes from a place of entitlement.
When a cop or white person questions a Black person about what they are doing, demanding identification and proof, it comes from a place of entitlement.
When a a person or group steals an idea, art, or any other creation it comes from a place of entitlement.
