mojodragon

This is something I’ve been forming in my mind for some time. I’m going to try to get the idea across, without confusing everyone. Please note that I’m not attacking Free Speech in any way. Also, the names and events (except one, which should be obvious) are made up.

Jane gets raped by Tom. She suffers physical, mental, and spiritual damage from the attack. She reports the attack to the police, who puts out an arrest warrant for Tom. His description and crime are radioed to patrol cars, who start looking for Tom.

Meanwhile, the local news station, which is monitoring the police radio net, gets wind of the story. They know that this suspect is wanted for rape. The police decide to use the media as a tool to catch Tom. So, that night at 11, the story is plastered all over the tv, and in the papers the next morning.

In graphic details, Jane’s friends and family read about the brutal attack. Also, a city full of complete strangers read all of the details.

Now, a couple of different things happen when the strangers get this bit of news. If someone hears about the story on the radio, they don’t have any pictures of any of the participants. So, most people picture themselves in one of the roles. This isn’t intentional, it’s just what pops into people’s heads. These people suffer mental and spiritual damage from the attack, no matter which role they play in the little visualization.

If someone reads about the story in the paper or sees it on the news, they get pictures of the victim and the “alleged” attacker. Now, in their visualization, they don’t have to picture themselves. They can picture the attack itself. And thanks to the accuracy of most news reports, they can form a pretty accurate recreation.

In a way, the victim is being victimized over and over again, in the minds of every person that reads or sees the story. Also, the crime is discussed at people’s workplaces, where details of the crimes are recalled. “Did you hear that he did this…?”

Every time the victim leaves her house, and faces strangers, she has to wonder if they know of the story. How many of you think you could meet Elizabeth Smart without bringing up her ordeal in some form or another. Maybe you wouldn’t actually mention it, but you’d treat her slightly different than you would if you didn’t know her story.

Then, 10 years later, after the wounds have started to heal a little, Tom gets caught. Now, the full story, and all of the pictures are posted all over the tv and newspapers, yet again. This time, they put recent pictures of the victim and “alleged” attacker. Just in case she tried to dye her hair or change her name to get out of the public eye.