"Blame the Victim"

posted by Mr. Vidiot @ 10:28 AM Permalink

Articles about the Katrina effect are ridiculous.

Excerpt: Violence among Hurricane Katrina evacuees, much of it occurring in southwest Houston neighborhoods targeted in a new anti-crime campaign, accounted for nearly a quarter of homicides in the city so far this year, police officials said Friday.

This is another blame the victim story. Ignored in this article is emphasis on how poor marginalized members of the ghetto were displaced against their will and without proper planning out of their environment into another poor, marginalized ghetto. These individuals must find ways to survive in grim conditions, lacking money or any social support in an unknown environment. They were left to fend for themselves, find ways to survive, denied support, or any programs to assist the impoverished in their greatest time of need. They lost what little they had, and instead of assistance, they are tortured further by the government, displaced, ignored, and tortured.

The torture in this country is not limited to Iraq, it happens in our backyard. And it happens everyday. When crime increases, the blame is placed on these victims, seen here in the context of "criminals". This is another product of a dominant society that produces crime, poverty, and murder, justifying its actions by placing blame on the victims that the system creates.

This is torture, the kind we ignore too, every day.