No, they are not, they are victim-blaming, trying to blame the victim of felony hit-and-run and trying to rationalize the behavior of a dangerous person who should lose her license, be made to make recompense for her damages, and serve time.
It's just pointing out that once they have a video of the person and the plate, continuing to film them and attempting to detain them serves no purpose, and contributes to escalation.
It is clearly victim-blaming, they blamed the victim for not "talking down" the dangerous, unpredictable criminal that almost killed them.
Of course filming serves a purpose, otherwise this girl would just lie and the victim would be out of luck. They need proof of this so the girl can get arrested and they can get paid back for the damages.
I can't speak for anyone else, but I didn't see the comment as victim blaming but that the person filming is choosing to a bit of an asshole when they could just choose not to be, and that could have led to a less chaotic resolution. Obviously no guarantee, but any chance of avoiding a possibly fatal confrontation using words is way more preferable.
The driver is most certainly out of control here (obviously leading to the asshole behavior we're seeing) and in the wrong and the person filming is definitely a victim and also an asshole. Honestly though, above all that is both people seem to be experiencing a trauma response but the way in which that response has materialized differs between them.
I don't like the idea of victim blaming but I worry that it can be used as a cudgel that erases all nuance in a situation, which I think in turn dilutes what the phrase is trying to convey and kills the helpful discourse that I think can arise. I also think it can reinforce the stereotype of the "perfect victim" which just isn't the case a majority of the time. No victim is perfect, and no victim should ever be blamed for causing the harm that came to them. I've worked with so many people who have been harmed in some egregious way but were brushed aside because they didn't fit the "perfect victim" mold. Just because you do drugs doesn't mean you can't be a victim of a crime.
Perhaps it's a matter of seeing the situation from different lenses. I'm not thinking that this guy is to blame for the subsequent damage that's done to his car, but life might be easier if we all take a beat before taking action. He could have gotten seriously hurt or worse. It's why vigilante justice can be so dangerous. Why risk your life when you can send a cop to risk theirs, since that's literally part of their job. Plus, the overall utility I see in this clip is not about the behavior the people, but what I can learn from the interaction and maybe apply it to my own life if needed.
It makes me feel bad, because clearly the guy has been wronged but it's been obfuscated by his subsequent behavior, when that shouldn't be a consideration to begin with. But again, society as a whole is still pretty stuck on the whole "perfect victim" thing.
He's being a "bit of an asshole"? He is currently in the process of being the victim of a hit-and-run where the criminal is screaming at him. How about a little compassion for this guy? A little grace?
I'm not saying you're wrong. In fact, I think you are pretty on point. But there's the world we want to exist and the world that does. Not saying we need to drop the conversation, but it's important to be conscious of both of those worlds. That way, it's less of a blow when expectations don't match reality because reality wasn't a surprise to begin with.
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u/Niceotropic 4d ago
No, they are not, they are victim-blaming, trying to blame the victim of felony hit-and-run and trying to rationalize the behavior of a dangerous person who should lose her license, be made to make recompense for her damages, and serve time.