Victim Shaming/Blaming- an Epidemic

Victim Shaming/Blaming - An Epidemic

In an increasingly immature & egocentric society, where narcissism is increasing and empathy/compassion are decreasing....victim blaming/shaming has become an epidemic.

This article is particularly needed to be seen...

"Yeah, I'm A Victim, What About It?" ~ Toni Bell

Read HERE

From above article...

Those who shout, “Don’t be a victim,” are cowards. Those words are meant to shut down, to demean, and to shame. They are the words of someone who cannot bear witness to another’s pain. They are the words of those who are fearful of their own vulnerability. They may see themselves in the victim and not want to be in the same situation. So they engage in a bit of cognitive dissonance and essentially align themselves with the message of the predator: “Shut up. Be quiet. Suffer alone.”

People become victims when they are victimized. It is not something they want to “be.” It is a status that is forced upon them through acts of gross inhumanity and violence. When you look up the definition of a victim, it reads, “A person harmed, injured, or killed as the result of a crime, accident, or other event or action. Also, a person who is tricked or duped.” These definitions are not laced with shame and the misplaced responsibility that the term has now come to embody.

Whether in recovery or not, victims are far from weak. Whatever symptoms they are having are normal reactions to profound and deliberate violence. Victims are strong, courageous, and resilient. Victims who aren’t in recovery – because of the less than empathic world we live in – develop defenses that keep them engaging the world despite the terror they may feel. Despite deep levels of fear and internalized shame, they continue to function. Most women don’t report when they have been raped by men. They suffer silently in the face of intimate partner violence. Yet these women continue to raise their children, go to work, care for loved ones, and do everything else that is required of them.

Whether you call yourself a victim or a survivor is up to you. The point is that one should tell their story as many times as needed to be heard and to heal. Don’t let someone else’s cowardice silence you. Don’t let their cry of “Don’t be a victim” stop your healing process.

https://healingfromcomplextraumaandptsd.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/no-one-chooses-to-be-a-victim-or-chooses-to-remain-a-victim-stop-this-victim-shaming/

Victim shaming also occurs, when victims/survivors aren't considered to be 'healing' and 'getting over it' quick enough and are deemed to be 'acting like a victim' and 'choosing to be a victim'.

Shining A Light Into The Darkness Of Healing Complex Trauma