Blaming the Victim: an Epidemic
July 27, 2009
by Karen
|The author is expressing her own opinions, not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
According to sportswriter Christine Brennan, ESPN sportscaster Erin Andrews deserves some of the blame for having been videotaped nude – on account of her beauty. As ABC reported, Brennan first commented on Andrews’ partial culpability on a sports radio show. Then Brennan followed up on Facebook and Twitter with this:
“On the Erin Andrews situation, a quick thought for those who have asked: There are hundreds of women covering sports in this country who haven’t had this happen to them. I wish it didn’t happen to Erin, but I also would suggest to her if she asked (and she hasn’t) that she rely on her talent and brains and not succumb to the lowest common denominator in sports media by playing to the frat house.”
Christine Brennan
I am really sickened to see the victim blamed in these situations. Andrews’s privacy and the sanctity of her body have been violated, and yet Christine Brennan accuses her of being responsible for the actions of the violator. Unlike some other women’s issues, this is not some controversial moral debate because both people in this crime are separate individuals in charge of their own actions. In this situation, there is a clear right and a clear wrong. Christine Brennan and the man who violated the privacy of Erin Andrews are, in my opinion, clearly in the wrong.
What bothers me even more is the prevalence of blaming the victim in our country. In 2006, a group of men in ages ranging from 13 to 40 forced an 11-year-old to perform sexual acts on them. I have saved an Associated Press article (published here by FOX) titled “Wis. teen gets 5 years for sex assault on girl, 11″ Subheading is “The 2006 attack involved as many as 20 men and boys over several hours” It stated:
A number of women in the girl’s neighborhood said the males involved were good people who made bad decisions.
“Five years? Ten years? That’s ridiculous,” said LaToya Bell, 22, sitting on a porch with four others who nodded in agreement. “They (are) getting time for nothing. That girl, she knew what she was doing.”
Denying responsibility by saying the girl appeared willing is contemptible, said Cordelia Anderson, a child sexual abuse expert in Minneapolis.
Blaming the victim reaches beyond socioeconomic factors and across the various careers, even into the world of entertainment. A New York Timesstory about rapper Chris Brown’s battering of Rihanna revealed the attitude of teen girls, including these quotes:
She probably made him mad for him to react like that. You know, like, bring it on?
She probably feels bad that it was her fault, so she took him back.
The prevalence is more horrifying than each individual incidence. Blaming the victim is the worst injustice that can happen in our society, and this belief system will enable more crimes and more heinous acts to thrive. When the next generation of American citizens – raised in a culture of blame the victim – reaches adulthood, we will have a new generation of police officers, lawyers, and judges who believe that women should be held accountable for the crimes of men. We need to stop this injustice, and we need to pull our culture out of its degrading blame the victim ideology.
Now,
This pissing me off. I researched Erin’s career and she has worked to get to where she is in the sports field. And no – no one – asked that someone make a nude video of them through a peephole without there consent. In this society – men and women – leverage all of their physical and mental tools to make it. But Erin did not voluntary pose for a nude photo or video taping.
Just as if Christine Brennan was a man, she should be made to retrack her statements, and may be, forced to take a leave of absence for a while.
Blaming the victim attitudes are incredibly frustrating! I am reminded of the “Vagina Monologues” sketch, “My Short Skirt is Not an Invitation.” Ms. Andrews is attractive, but her beauty is not an invitation for her privacy to be violated.
The funny thing is, if Ms. Andrews were perceived as UNattractive, there would be people out there saying she should be grateful for the attention!
I notice that when it comes to crimes against women they always make men out to be so helpless against our alluring sexuality. Poor things! One glimpse of bare thigh or a flirtatious smile and they are just not responsible for their actions. Well if men are that weak and that easily manipulated, that’s all the more reason they should move over and let women lead this country.
agree with LVL.
who knows phone numbers to get Christine Brennon to apologize. i’ll be on the phone.
we cannot just turn a blind eye when women are obviously backstabbing.
Brennan’s official website with contact info in the right corner.
http://christinebrennan.com/
Her employer’s contact info
http://www.usatoday.com/marketing/feedback.htm
Should we make an action alert out of this?
Hi Karen, I now listened to Brennan’s radiotalk. I think an action alert is not appropriate. Her blaming the victim is different than Letterman
s offence. Brennan clearly says it was wrong what happend to Erin. But instead of giving private sisterly advice she goes public and states her strategy to avoid sexual harassment. On top, these strategies are not confirmed by any studies whether they work.
So I think the appropriate strategy is to email her or call her and let her know your opinion.
her some suggestions what to write her to christinebrennan@christinebrennan.com
it is highly disputed whether there is an effective strategy to hold off sexual harassment or violence. decades ago, police suggested women stay at home at night or not go alone. there are attacks in the home. the self defense lessons, the pepper spray. the non attractive or professional clothing, the company with other women or supportive men may be effective in individual situations. it may make some women more comfortable. all these strategies have no proven success by themselves and should not be publicly suggested as remedy against sexual perverts / attackers. we would appreciate a public apology to Erin Andrews. It is not her (Erin’s)responsibility but the responsibility of the offender to secure respect for her private space.
Leave your Response Want an avatar? Get a gravatar!
Community Room
February 6, 2012 at 4:25 pm
January 30, 2012 at 2:36 pm
January 26, 2012 at 4:38 pm
January 23, 2012 at 1:04 pm
January 15, 2012 at 11:37 am
January 9, 2012 at 6:36 pm
January 7, 2012 at 10:10 pm
January 5, 2012 at 9:31 am
BUILD your NETWORK
Our Network of College Women
Protecting our Teenage Girls
We’re in the Media »
Click to see our latest stories in the media
More Stories »Recent Comments
The Latest from our Blog
Archives
Pioneer Mentors
Blogroll
Find us Online
Subscribe Entries (RSS) | Comments (RSS)
The New Agenda is a 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls by bringing about systemic change in the media, at the workplace, at school and at home. More...