Is it really victim blaming?

[HCountyGuy]

Is it really victim blaming calling people out for doing stupid things which get them victimized?

Example: Here (and around the country I'm sure) we have issues with idiots leaving their cars running unattended outside of convenience stores and other businesses with the doors unlocked and/or windows down. And, as can be expected, they come out to find they've had their car stolen. I'm in a FaceBook group which shares information on criminal activity, and I'll usually call out the vehicle owner for being so stupid as to do that in spite of the number of times it continues to happen. There's usually a smartass or two who accuses me of victim blaming, because it's all the criminal's fault and nobody should have to worry about having their car stolen.

Is it so wrong to expect people to take precautionary measures against having things like this happen? I argue there's a world of difference between having your car stolen because someone broke into it, wired it and left versus leaving it running and unlocked as almost an invitation.

I can agree that ultimately it's the criminal making the decision to break the law, but don't essentially help them!

Tell me I'm not alone in this...

[okie john]

Tell me I'm not alone in this...

You're not alone. But I've learned to avoid the kind of people who file Hurt Feelings Reports.


Okie John

[Bigghoss]

Cars have keys for a reason. I know a guy that always leaves his keys in his cars figuring that if someone is going to steal his car they're going to do it no matter what and they'll just cause a bunch of damage hotwiring it that will need to be fixed when the car is eventually recovered. But of all the times he's had cars stolen, they were all because someone was looking for money/valuables and saw the keys in the ignition. They didn't actually plan on stealing my he car.

[Tamara]

But of all the times he's had cars stolen...

Detectives call this a "clue".

[Joe in PNG]

Our current culture doesn't like to take responsibility for anything that goes wrong. Better to pass the buck and blame something else.

[OlongJohnson]

If it wasn't for dickheads like you, there wouldn't be any thievery in this world, would there?

[BehindBlueI's]

Its your fault your car was broken in to = victim blaming.

These are the factors that contributed to your car getting broken into =/= victim blaming.

[Poconnor]

I believe keys and locks are meant to keep honest people honest. Thieves will find a way if they so desire. But then again my experience with thieves has taught me that they are the hyenas of society. They might not be actively looking to commit a crime but that running car is just an opportunity they can not pass up. Call it poor impulse control. I call it arrested development. As in they see life as an adult game of finders keepers instead of a society of mutual respect. Instead of of telling that frazzled young mother with three small children that she forgot her wallet or cell phone behind at McDonald's the criminal thinks "free shit" I guess I'm saying we have protect ourselves. So yes we should tell them victims so learning can occur

[Sero Sed Serio]

I think there's a big, if not subtle difference, between "It's your fault" and "You should have seen that coming." I have also noticed a very large yet sheltered segment of society that believes that sort of thing doesn't happen HERE. They would never leave their keys in the car on the bad side of town, but think because their local Stop-N-Rob is in a nice neighborhood, nothing will happen.

[Maple Syrup Actual]

I can deal with the people who are taking the rational position "we shouldn't be blaming victims for things that happen to them".

I cannot deal with the people who respond to questioning or argument by saying "that's just victim blaming" as though that should be an automatic conversation-stopper. Okay, it's victim blaming. But that does not, in and of itself, win the argument.

The fact that you have a right not to get mugged does not mean that you should not ALSO take some basic steps to protect yourself from the people who will absolutely, definitely, without question NOT CARE about your right not to be mugged, and will specifically and intentionally violate that right for profit or for increased social standing in their community or even just for fun. Obviously everyone here knows this and I am addressing this to the cloud of magical utopian thinkers out there, but look: there are people that will hurt you for a million reasons and if you don't take some interest in your own safety, or that of your family's, then while I might pity the fact that bad things are happening to you, and I'll certainly pity your family, I'm still going to say 'well, you probably shouldn't have gone with the buddhist good-luck swastika shirt on the day you toured the holocaust museum at the same time as that visiting group of exchange kids from the Israeli School for the Antisocial, Aggressive and Violent".


"That's victim blaming" is not an instant out.