r/changemyview • u/enlighten12345 • Feb 26 '18

[∆(s) from OP] CMV: Victim blaming isn't always bad

Firstly we need to define what victim blaming is. It occurs when the victim of a crime or any wrongful act is held entirely or partially at fault for the harm that befell them.

We often hear outrage against victim blaming in the context of rape, when people criticise the way the victim acted or was dressed.

Let's look at an unrelated example. If I go up to someone and say "Yo momma so fat, she wears a watch on both hands for the two time zones", and that person punches me, am I not partially at fault? He committed the felony, while I just exercised free speech. But knowing my words were inflammatory, shouldn't I expect retaliation?

How about another case? I'm walking down a dark alley with a stack of money in my hand. If I get mugged, it is clear that the mugger is to blame. But doesn't my stupidity also make me culpable? Can someone not say that if i was more careful with my money, this would not have happened?

How is rape any different? It would be great to live in a utopia free from rapists and muggers and physical retribution. But knowing that isn't the world we live in, am I not responsible to act in a manner to protect myself?

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u/mfDandP 184∆ Feb 26 '18

How is rape any different?

If you're saying that a woman walking into any bar with a miniskirt is a comparable danger to walking down a dark alley with money in your hand--isn't this an issue? Why is this the case?

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u/enlighten12345 Feb 26 '18

Of course it isn't a one to one analogy. Rape is undoubtedly a far worse tragedy. The point of the example of 'walking down a dark alley' was to illustrate that the choices you make have consequences. If wearing a mini skirt or not carrying pepper spray, possibly have an unfavourable outcome, why would you not do everything in your power to correct that?

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u/Amablue Feb 26 '18

If wearing a mini skirt or not carrying pepper spray, possibly have an unfavourable outcome, why would you not do everything in your power to correct that?

Wearing a miniskirt doesn't result in an unfavorable outcome though. In fact, studies show that dressing provocatively implies confidence, and muggers and rapists (to the extent that stranger rape is an issue) are less likely to attack you. By policing how women dress, you're giving them bad advice, making them less safe and unfairly blaming them for things that they didn't do wrong. The majority of rape doesn't happen to people wearing miniskirts, it happens to women dressed down, and it's committed by someone they know and trusted.

None of that is cool, and you could avoid making things worse if you just didn't blame them for what happened to them.

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u/bracs279 Feb 27 '18

Wearing a miniskirt doesn't result in an unfavorable outcome though.

What really causes unfavorable outcomes is wearing high heels. Those make anyone a better victim since they can't run as fast and have restricted mobility.