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

[Armed Blowfish]

On 02/08/07, Marc Riddell <michaeldavid86 at comcast.net> wrote:
>
> > On 02/08/07, Steve Summit <scs at eskimo.com> wrote:
> > <cut>
> >> I am no less sorry than anyone else to say this, but: the trolls
> >> are out there.  They are not going to go away.  Most importantly,
> >> they are *not our fault*.  To imagine that they somehow are "our
> >> fault", to pretend that we can do anything to make them go away,
> >> is a futile, perhaps even delusional folly.
> > </cut>
>
> > on 8/2/07 7:19 PM, Armed Blowfish at diodontida.armata at googlemail.com
> wrote:
>
> > Stalking to the point of revealing someone's personal information to
> > the world, making them vulnerable to further stalking goes beyond mere
> > trolling.  But that's semantics.
> >
> > In any case, you are right - it is not your fault.  The wrongs
> > stalkers do are on their heads.
> >
> > No, you can't stop every stalker / abuser / harasser in the world.
> > Nonetheless, some environments are more friendly to stalkers than
> > others.  There are things that can be done to influence the
> > statistics.  Can you be blamed for not helping when you don't know how
> > to help?  No.  But that doesn't mean there aren't things you can do to
> > help... e.g. supporting people who have been hurt and helping to
> > create an environment that is not friendly to
> > stalkers/abusers/harassers.
> >
> > Armed Blowfish
> >
> Yes, AB.

Glad we agree on that much.  : )

> And stalkers, abusers, and harassers don't survive very long in an
> environment where the noise they are making doesn't get the reaction they
> need to thrive.
>
> Marc

'the reaction they need to thrive' And therein most likely lies our
disagreement... What is 'the reaction they need to thrive'?  Not any
reaction. They want to do something... maybe cause pain, maybe get
something for themselves... and they want to get away with it.

And how can they do that?  Well, as for causing pain, that's simple.
There are a million different ways to suffer, and they only have to
find one way to cause the victim to suffer.  If there is something
more specific they want, it might be more difficult.

But getting away with it... how do they do that?   Try isolating the
victim from his or her social support.  (This will also cause the
victim to suffer.)  Just like a lion luring a goat away from the
herd... for even a lion may be trampled by a herd, but can easily
overpower a single goat.  How?  Any way they can.  And how can we stop
it?  Try to see it for what it is, and stand by the victim.

Armed Blowfish