[WikiEN-l] The Second Rape: Victim-Blaming (was Re: Self-sensorship, how far should it go?)

[jayjg]

On 8/2/07, Bryan Derksen <bryan.derksen at shaw.ca> wrote:
> Tony Sidaway wrote:
> > I think that sums up my feelings on this matter, too.  I just cannot
> > understand why Slim Virgin is being described as "a net detriment to
> > the project" on account of attacks that are made by *her* by people we
> > all recognise as either severely unbalanced or having an axe to grind.
> >  It quite disturbing.
>
> It's not SlimVirgin herself that I consider a net detriment, it's all
> this effort to suppress discussion of her. If she herself is not
> involved in that (and I'm led to believe that she's not) then I've got
> no beef at all with her on this matter.

Another response from ArmedBlowfish:
----------

That effort is an act of compassion... and given the pain SlimVirgin
is no doubt suffering right now, a much-needed one.  It's not about
blaming people who trip over something they don't understand and end
up hurting others by accident... it's about protecting those other
people from what harm we can.  And protecting her is indeed the right
thing to do.

You can certainly find plenty of excuses to blame her and her
supporters if you want to.  'She was out too late, acting too sexy,
too innocent, too assertive, not assertive enough, drank too much, too
bitchy, too stupid, or too aloof.'

In any case, here I am, talking about it.  Hi!

> BTW, first there was a comparison to appeasing the Nazis, now we've got
> a comparison to rape. This is a bit over the top, IMO.

Not at all.

1)  If she has indeed been outed - I will not discuss whether the
personal information about her as publicised was accurate to some
extent or not - but if it is accurate, then SlimVirgin very well could
face physical assault, even rape, now that people can find her.
2)  The psychology of rape is the psychology of abuse in general, and
SlimVirgin has been stalked, and I don't mean mere wikistalking around
articles.  The feelings of vulnerability, the pain, the helplessness
... these things rape and stalking have in common.  The reaction are
also similar - it is easier to side with the abusers without even
knowing it what you do.  Read the first two links in my original post
again, surely you can see how parallel this situation is?

Armed Blowfish