The student news site of Diablo Valley College.

The Inquirer

The student news site of Diablo Valley College.

The Inquirer

The student news site of Diablo Valley College.

The Inquirer

Language hurtful to survivors of abuse

I was very disappointed by some of the attitudes expressed in Julie
George’s opinion piece, “Love should never be a battlefield.” 

While I wholeheartedly agree that abusive relationships are a serious problem,
and we need resources to help people who are in abusive relationships,
Ms. George’s use of victim-blaming language was inappropriate and
counterproductive.

Victims of abuse do not “allow themselves to be put in bad
situations.” Abusers put them in those situations. Victims of abuse
are not “creatures of habit” who lack “the courage or will to leave.”

Abusers are master manipulators who intimidate and coerce their
victims into staying through the use of threats, isolation, shaming
and gas lighting. Abuse victims stay with their abusers not because
they are weak, but because they are afraid, and using language that
blames and shames the victims for not being able to protect themselves
only makes it more difficult for them to seek or accept help.

We need to place the blame for continuing abuse on the shoulders of
the people who are responsible for the problem in the first place: the
abusers, not their victims.

Leave a Comment

Comments (0)

By commenting, you give The Inquirer permission to quote, reprint or edit your words. Comments should be brief, have a positive or constructive tone, and stay on topic. If the commenter wants to bring something to The Inquirer’s attention, it should be relevant to the DVC community. Posts can politely disagree with The Inquirer or other commenters. Comments should not use abusive, threatening, offensive or vulgar language. They should not be personal attacks or celebrations of other people’s tragedies. They should not overtly or covertly contain commercial advertising. And they should not disrupt the forum. Editors may warn commenters or delete comments that violate this policy. Repeated violations may lead to a commenter being blocked. Public comments should not be anonymous or come from obviously fictitious accounts. To privately or anonymously bring something to the editors’ attention, contact them.
All The Inquirer Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Activate Search
Language hurtful to survivors of abuse