Blaming the victim is a common form of moral disengagement when nations go to war or try to persuade their citizens to go along with an unpopular war.
There are countless examples of the Bush White House arguing that Saddam Hussein was forcing the United States to go to war against Iraq. For example, President George W. Bush, in a speech to the UN on September 13, 2002, argued that “By breaking every pledge, by his deceptions and by his cruelties, Saddam Hussein has made the case against himself.”
Secretary of State Colin Powell, in a February 6, 2002 briefing to the UN Security Council, continued placing the blame for the upcoming invasion of Iraq on Saddam Hussein: “We must not fail in our duty and our responsibilities. Clearly, Saddam will stop at nothing until something stops him.”
It is not only the people in power who blame the victims of violence for the violence against them. Good examples can be seen in online responses to a video, available from Wikileaks, showing American military personnel killing Reuters reporters and Iraq civilians, and wounding two children.
- “They (the Reuters personnel) got themselves killed because they were out of their element, why were they with the enemy??”
- “As far as the kids go the pilot said it best, they should not have brought children to a battle. Maybe their value of life is just as low if they are willing to bring children.”
What examples of blaming the victim do you hear in your own conversations or see in the media?
Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology
Note: This post was adapted from my previously published article in Peace Psychology (a publication of the American Psychological Association), Spring, 2009.