2010-07-22

Blaming the Victim

Remember the Phoebe Prince case? I sure do.

This morning I opened the Boston Globe and saw this article. If you're not inclined to click through, here's the deal in a nutshell: lawyers representing both sides are responding to an article on Slate, which "asserted that Prince, who hanged herself in January, was 'deeply troubled' long before she ever met her suspected tormenters, and raised questions about whether the teenagers deserve to be prosecuted."

A lawyer defending one of Phoebe's alleged tormenters is quoted thus: "We're not unhappy to have some of the information made available to the public."

Well, of course you're not. Especially if you're planning a defense based on blaming the victim.

And let's talk for a second about the preposterousness of establishing Phoebe's history of depression as some kind of proof that the defendants aren't to blame for hounding her into an early grave. For shits and giggles, let's replace "depression" with "diabetes." Phoebe Prince was taking Apidra. She once went into insulin shock on a field trip. So you see, she wasn't all that well to begin with. These girls shouldn't be held accountable for verbally assaulting her nonstop for three months. Ridiculous, right? How is saying that Phoebe's depression excuses these girls and their behavior any different? It's every bit as absurd.

You may as well just say: "Your Honor, let the record reflect that Phoebe Prince was going to die anyway."

Genetics perhaps loads the gun, but make no mistake - environment can pull the trigger. If you're constantly told that you're worthless, you come to believe it. And if you don't have a support system, because your friends are too frightened to intervene on your behalf, or because your family is fractured and too distracted by its own wounds to notice yours, you will act on that belief. If you don't actually kill yourself, you will seriously consider it. Anyone who comes back with "grow a thicker skin," or "get over it" has no idea what it's like.

Phoebe Prince is dead, and she's still being picked apart.

lisamcc at 11:19 a.m.

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