As a follow-on to my colleague Gwen’s thoughtful post on the Rihanna domestic violence situation and the way it’s being handled in the media, I thought I’d throw in this piece from Feministing, about the reactions of some Boston teens to the story.
Sadly, it would appear that almost half of those Boston teens surveyed blame Rihanna for the attack. More than half felt that both parties were equally responsible for the attack.
Jessica at Feministing sums it up well, saying, "Ah, victim-blaming. It’s always with us. What particularly depresses me about this statistic is that the victim-blaming is coming from young people. There’s this optimistic part of me that likes to believe sexist attitudes and hating women will lessen with new generations. Articles like these snap me back into reality."
Then there is Gwen, saying, "And just once, I would like to read a story that focused on how men have the power to stop this violence."
This wish seems particularly poingnant given what these surveys revealed about how young people view violence against women.
And, in my opinion, helping further draw the connection that how domestic violence and women’s issues are portrayed in the media do get reflected back to us in the voices and actions of our young people.
As a silver lining, there are some amazing groups doing work to combat these perceptions and domestic violence itself, as well as to advocate for victims (rather than blame them). Many of these groups are our Grantee Partners, and a few are 2009 Leadership Awardees.
As of tomorrow, check back to our site to vote for your favorite Leadership Awardee, help them earn an extra $5,000 to fuel their work, and raise your voice for productive solutions and better, healthier, safer communities for women and girls.
Lisa Kays is The Women’s Foundation’s Director of Communications.
