Topic: Victim-Blaming

Living Nonfictionally: There Is No Justice

Living Nonfictionally: There Is No Justice

I love stories. Whether it’s in the form of novels, comic books, theatre, movies or television, I love fiction. Stories are comforting. They make sense. They exist in a universe where things happen for a reason and people get what’s coming to them. I love to temporarily immerse myself in a world where, if I’m good, I won’t die in a horrible accident. Or if I do, at least everyone will remember me lovingly and I’ll probably come back as an awesome ghost or something.

In stories, justice is important. If the villain gets away with his villainy, it’s infuriating. If the hero doesn’t get rewarded, it’s depressing.

The thing is, we don’t live in a story. More »

What Happens When You Victim-Blame for Crimes Other Than Rape?

What Happens When You Victim-Blame for Crimes Other Than Rape?

It appears that up in Canada, victim-blaming in rape cases is just as popular a sport as it is everywhere else in the world. CNN reports that during the trial of a man who threw a woman into the middle of a dirt road and sexually assaulted her, a Canadian judge said that the attack may have been caused by the victim wearing heels, make-up and a tube top with no bra, and that “sex was in the air” after she had met her attacker at a bar. Because of all that, after finding her rapist guilty, he sentenced him to two years of house arrest, and no jail time. More »