Victim Blaming

[bara]

The person/persons committing a crime are responsible. Im not above heaping ridicule on people who are doing stupid things that help perpetuate a crime, but they are not to blame.

If I have money in my wallet and some one steals it from me, is it my fault for having money? Of course it isn't. If I was stupid enough to walk around waving hundred dollar bills (I've heard they exist but have never had any of my very own) then the old axiom applies, 'A fool and his money are soon parted' and wouldn't garner much sympathy. The thief would still be solely responsible for the theft though.

[Seifer]

But a person's lack of common sense does NOT give someone a right to do something bad to them. Doesn't matter how stupid you are - my right to not have my shit stolen trumps your right to take advantage of a stupid person.

Unless you're going to apply it across the board. Either the victim can take the blame (regardless of the crime) or not.

I don't think anyone is saying that a stupid person loses their right to their own personal safety and the ownership rights to their possessions. In the end, it's the criminals fault for choosing to do the crime. I think people just get frustrated with some victims, because they do something so ridiculously stupid without once thinking of a consequence.

People can feel unsympathetic toward a victim, but that doesn't make them any less a victim.

[HYHYBT]

I choose to leave my car unlocked at home. Call me what you like, but there's nothing in it that costs more than replacing a window would. And if they're out to steal the car itself, a locked door won't stop them.

The house stays locked... when I'm inside it, or when I'm leaving. If I'm just going out to check the mail or sweep the leaves from the carport, locking the door serves no purpose except to be a nuisance getting back in.

[KnitShoni]

A large part of the problem with victim-blaming is that there are so many victims who did the "right" things, took precautions, and still were violated/hurt. The first thing asked is, "Well, what did YOU do?" It doesn't matter if the victim took proper precautions. Someone, somewhere, is going to find something they did or didn't do that led to this awful thing happening to them.

[Andara Bledin]

It all goes back to how scary it is for some people to believe that the world really is a random and scary place where good people get hurt and stupid people don't.

If they can find some reason why the victim was in some way responsible for what happened to them, they can live as if not doing that thing will keep them safe.

^-.-^

[blas87]

I used to leave my Neon unlocked all the time.

My current baby is always locked with the security system on, and my door is always locked here. Even if I'm up and watching TV right inside. Don't want to chance it.

This isn't a BAD neighborhood, but there are so many apartments that look so much alike, you never know if someone might have the wrong door or try to just walk in.

[Boozy]

Sorry, but that doesn't negate common sense. Just because a scenario is unlikely doesn't mean you should willfully increase the chance of it.

I'm not disagreeing with you on that point. But if you were to actually ask most victims of crime "what they thought would happen", they'd have said "Nothing". And 99% of the time they'd be right.

Perhaps a better question to ask a burglary victim is "How convenient did you find it leaving your door unlocked all these years, compared to how aggravating it is to be robbed now? Was it worth it?"

Most people would say, "No, it's not worth it". So they should have been locking their doors.

[bara]

About a year ago, a car was stolen from the gas station. The owner left the car running and left it unlocked during a busy time of day. They were cited by the police because of this. It was nice May weather so there was no real reason to let the car idle.

[Kheldarson]

Kabe and I saw a similar case here. We'd stopped to get some munchies at a gas station and when we came out, somebody had just parked and come in. And left their car running.

In the amount of time it took us to get into our car and get set up and started, one of us could've gone over, gotten into his car, and left.

That's the sort of case where you go...why'd you do that?

[Sleepwalker]

I'm not disagreeing with you on that point. But if you were to actually ask most victims of crime "what they thought would happen", they'd have said "Nothing". And 99% of the time they'd be right.

Perhaps a better question to ask a burglary victim is "How convenient did you find it leaving your door unlocked all these years, compared to how aggravating it is to be robbed now? Was it worth it?"

Most people would say, "No, it's not worth it". So they should have been locking their doors.

This is assuming the locked door would have stopped the burglary.

[bara]

This is assuming the locked door would have stopped the burglary.

I remember reading some time ago about a group of burglars that would 'case' homes by going around late at night and checking to see which houses were locked and which were not.
The ones that were not locked were then targeted later, or in some cases burglarized right then and there. I wish I could find that article cause it had some pretty good advice.

[Boozy]

This is assuming the locked door would have stopped the burglary.

That's a good point.

My dad's shop was burglarized a while back, and when asked by his insurance agent if the door was locked, he honestly answered "no". The agent said, "Whatever. If it had been, we'd have ended up paying for a new door too."

[veniteangeli]

The Gothic Archies have a song entitled "The World is a Very Scary Place", and I think that's a very true thing to say.

The problem is, is that we live in a world where we can't control the actions of others. No amount of law making and enforcement is going to change the fact that we can't MAKE other people do what we want them to do (or not do the things we DON'T want them to do). The only thing keeping people from breaking the law is the threat of the consequences, and, well, some people just aren't afraid of jail/fines. Some people have nothing left to lose, and everything to gain. Sometimes, people just have no conscience or empathy.

Whatever the case, I know that I can't control the world. The only thing I can control is ME. And so I take precautions to prevent the bad people out there from making me a target. I don't leave my doors unlocked. I don't announce it to the world when I'm carrying large amounts of money. I don't wander around town after dark. I don't get blind stinking drunk so that I don't know where I am or what's happening to me.

I'm not saying that I don't have the right to do those things, because I absolutely do. I'm allowed to leave my doors unlocked if I want to, I'm allowed to wear a sign on my chest saying "I'm carrying $1000! Ask me how!" I'm allowed to get as drunk as I want. But I choose not to do those things because to do them would make it easier for harm to befall me, and that's MY choice.

In conclusion, victim blaming is kind of an iffy thing for me. I'm not touching the rape thing because I have no experience there, but as far as theft and personal harm, I can't stop people from stealing, but I can take steps to prevent them from stealing from ME. At least that way, if it does ever happen, I can honestly say that I did all I could to stop it.

[Andara Bledin]

I imagine that most burglaries or car thefts include breaking in. I don't really feel like looking up statistics right now, however.

I know from experience that it takes all of about 10 seconds with a screwdriver to pop a lock off a car door, and not much longer to pop a stereo out of the console. A co-worker had this happen to him while at work.

As for homes, a bump key in the hands of someone who's had any practice takes about the same time to get you into a house. That's barely any longer than someone with the correct key doing the same.

That isn't to say that refraining from taking risks won't reduce your chances of getting hit by someone looking for a target of opportunity, but if it's a pro, even if you do everything "right," you won't really be any safer.

^-.-^

[blas87]

Most robberies around here, seem to go unsolved for months, and new blocks/areas of town are rampaged multiple times in a month or however long it goes on until they are caught. Seems a lot of people around here really truly don't lock their homes or garages, even when they are gone.

Around here, we always hope that if the cops don't get to them, someone with a rifle does first, enough to scare them shitless till the cops come.

I am always getting on my parents to lock every single effing door in the house, including the one from the porch into the garage. And to close the effing curtains. But no, we can't not have the sunlight shining in the empty house all day! Ok, just showcase that you have entire hutches filled with antiques and homemade heirlooms that are extremely valueable forms of art.