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Original poster

Victim blaming essay, help needed.

33 replies

TheEnthusiasticTroll · 29/10/2012 23:12

I'm doing a social work degree and need for a creativity and empowerment essay any links to specific media representation of victim blaming. I'm thinking linking to a few current stories in the media related to female sexual victimisation.

I wanted to link in how cases are reported by the news. I'm not looking for anything overly intellectual, I have only 1500 words to make a quick summery in terms of representing "the other" and linking in to contemporary representation of "the other" having a voice and how representation occurs in a specific medium. The other being young female victims of sexual victimisation and medium being news reporting.

I'm specifically looking for any news, topical programmes or tabloid reports that spring to people's minds that may hint of victim blaming.

It's just a summery that will outline changing cultural representations and negative stereotypes. This will later link to a larger peice about user involvement specific to social work values.

Any help in pointing me in the right direction to anything recently reported would be much appreciated. PM if you prefere.

OP posts:
Original poster
TheEnthusiasticTroll · 30/10/2012 09:28

That's ok interesting thread, anything that helps deal with attitudes is useful to read.

OP posts:
Darkesteyes · 30/10/2012 00:30

Oh sorry i didnt realise you meant the way it was reported in the news. My fault. I should have read your OP properly.

Darkesteyes · 30/10/2012 00:25

Enthusiastic Troll i started a thread in Chat recently about the way my parents were blaming the victims in the Savile case. My DM was even gaslighting as well as blaming. i will link it into this thread.

ConsiderCasey · 29/10/2012 23:58

I would say one thing that strikes me as odd in the way that the media have reported the jimmy savile case and others is that they have kept it incredibly non-gendered. They've talked about protecting "young people" and even though we have had week after week of young girls being abused, kidnapped by men, that pattern hasn't been picked up or analysed.
In asking the questions why was this level of abuse was allowed to slip through the cracks the media has focused on the BBC, the NHS, etc, but has not addressed the wider issue of society's attitudes to female abuse victims which is one of automatic disbelief (especially when it involes a famous man) and which is the main reason these girls did not speak up or were ignored.

They report on various incidents, the latest being the policeman who didn't pursue allegations of rape, but never seem to connect the dots.

Original poster
TheEnthusiasticTroll · 29/10/2012 23:35

I did consider that KRITIQ thanks for the insight, I have just wrote a law essay on intimate partner violence so thatbwould be an interesting anglento cover. I think i would like to link this specifically to children or young women I've found a lot on savile, Rochdale and another two cases of the victimisation of girls. I have found a few reports that I can use but wanted to find something quite explicit than I've searched this evening. I wanted to focus on one or two specific news tabloid or topical programmes.

I have saved that midge25, that's the kind of thing I'm looking for, thanks.

OP posts:
KRITIQ · 29/10/2012 23:24

Try a wee search on how men killing their children and/or partners (also called "family annihilators" are portrayed in the media.

This is a classic example of how victims of sexual violence are "othered" in the way stories are reported, the language chosen, etc.

There seems to be almost a template for how such stories are conveyed - striving to "normalise" the character of the perpetrator (e.g. hard working, good father, loved his children, etc.), making out that him killing his partner and children was an aberration, out of the blue, he must have snapped, etc. (even where the evidence points to carefully planned and carried out murders and murder/suicides, and often a history of violent, controlling behaviour towards his family,)

At the same time, strong indications are given that the behaviour of the women (usually dead in these cases,) was inappropriate in the period leading up to the murders, often suggesting this "provoked" the man to murder them and/or the children. So, while the perpetrator is made out to be an "ordinary Joe who just snapped in response to provocation," the mother of the dead children (often also killed) is made out to be anything but an ordinary "good" wife, mother and woman.

You'll find plenty out there. Good luck.

Midge25 · 29/10/2012 23:21

Quick internet search came up with This

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