The V-word. (No, not "Vagina.")

Tragedy and hardship are inseparable from life. I don't know how else to put that, though you all know it anyway. Some have it harder than others, and most of us just have our ups and downs. But contemporary culture and society still stigmatizes personal troubles like they should be taboo. This in and of itself invokes that term, "victim."




Recently, I've been stewing a little bit over why we apply this term, and why so often. Does help more than hinder, or vice versa? If the latter, is there an alternative word? Taking a literal view of the word "victim," it sounds slightly degrading to me, however it's applied. I have no doubt it's usually used well-meaningly, and anyone who tries not to let tragedy or pain keep them down has my great respect. But I'm just one man. I can change my own life, but in most cases, real change happens through us all.




Obviously I resent having to re-use this word, but our tendency for victim-shaming must end, especially among minorities and even self-inflicted forms like addiction. And with cyberbullying and social media it's now easier than ever to victim-shame. In recent times that has even happened in law enforcement and legal circles. A good (albeit fictional) example of this is in the 1988 film The Accused, in which Jodie Foster plays a hard-living young woman who is gang-raped in a bar. She takes her attackers to court, but throughout the trial she is constantly mocked and distrusted due to her appearance and lifestyle. Come to think of it, Lindy and Michael Chamberlain had to endure similar treatment during their real-life trial.




How can we curb victim-shaming (whether the subject is famous or not)? Is it a lost cause? I can't confidently answer either of those questions, and even if I could I'd still want to feed you food for thought anyway. But I aim mainly to help people and myself, so if you fall into personal hardship, speak up and don't throw the towel in. One of my heroes, Franklin D. Roosevelt, said: "We, and all others who believe in freedom as deeply as we do, would rather die on our feet than live on our knees." After all, in the face of paralytic illness he became the longest-serving president in American history.