“Apparently to be out at 2 a.m. you must be at least 5-foot-3-[inches], so we’ve already learned something tonight,” Anne Dufault said.
The Catharsis Productions senior educator spoke at the “Beat the Blame Game” event, designed to teach students about the dangers of victim-blaming in sexual assault cases. It was hosted by ACBU and Bradley HEAT on Wednesday in the student center ballroom.
“HEAT was kind of one of the [organizations] that initiated bringing Catharsis to campus,” said Matthew Gibson, a junior math and computer science major and one of the co-directors of HEAT. “We thought as HEAT, that was something good to bring to campus aside from just us giving presentations.”
Dufault’s presentation discussed the 2006 rape and murder of Jennifer Moore. A radio commentator’s emphasis on Moore’s petite size formed part of what Dufault asserted was a consistent pattern on victim-blaming.
She read the transcript of the radio host aloud to attendees, and the audience participated in identifying other statements that seemed to blame Moore’s decisions for her murder. She provided possible responses to give if a student heard victim-blaming from others.
“I really liked that program,” said Alysia Solis, a sophomore hospitality and leadership major. “If I catch someone in public saying victim-blaming statements I can say ‘Hey, that’s not super cool man.’”
Catharsis Productions is the same company that produces the online anti-sexual assault training modules Bradley freshmen are required to take.
The lesson allowed the members of Catharsis to examine victim-blaming culture in their own circles, then adapted it to educate students.
The term “victim-blaming” comes from psychologist William Ryan’s 1971 response to the Moynihan Report. The report, produced by government sociologist Daniel Patrick Moynihan, blamed African American families and culture for their own poverty.
According to Catharsis Productions, victim-blaming occurs when the victims of a crime, accident or abuse are held entirely or partially responsible for transgressions committed against them. Though the term is now often used in sexual assault cases, Dufault pointed out that victim-blaming can occur with victims of any crime.
Dufault and the audience dissected the different ways in which people might blame the victim of a given scenario, and the psychological phenomena that might make such behavior appealing or even comforting.
At one point, to underscore the differences between men and women’s experiences, she asked people of all genders what they regularly do to avoid being sexually assaulted, getting silence from the men in the audience and a plethora of answers from the women and those who identify as transgender and nonbinary.
“I was really impressed by the students here at Bradley,” Dufault said. “I really appreciated the way that everyone was willing to examine issues around victim-blaming … I think the biggest thing that I always hope from these presentations is that the conversation doesn’t stop here, that students take this understanding and continue to talk to other students.”
