ideal victims seminar Flashcards
what does the ideal victim model focus on?
societal reaction and public perception
- which result in the public feeling as though some are more deserving of sympathy and are viewed as more legitimate than others
christie model highlights what 6 criterias which influence whether some victims are viewed with more sympathy and legitimacy than others. according to this model an ideal victim is:
- weaker than the offender (e.g. children, elderly, women)
- going about their normal day to day business
- not to blame in any way for what happened to them
- not known to the offender - the offender is a stranger
- the victim of someone who is clearly deviant
- the victim is not a threat to the dominant social norms or values
what is christies model not making claims of?
not making moral claims that some victims are viewed as more legitimate than others
- rather the model was based on christies observation of public perception
when was christies model developed?
1980s so may be outdated
what point in christies model is the article most focused on?
- that ideal victims are not to blame in any ways for what happened to them
why were victims overlooked by criminologists
preoccupation with trying to understand why people commit crimes
what was the ashley madison data breach
-stolen details of 37 million customers
- data breac
why was AM data breach a significant event
because of the character of the website and sensitive nature of data released
what was the ashley madison website about
well known website which facilitates extramarital affairs
what was the tagline for AM webiste
life is short
what was the alleged motive behind the data breach
the alleged motive behind the data breach concerned the infidelity promoted and enabled by the website and perceived immorally of the customers
what leaked info was there
sexuality
preferences
fantasies
compromising photos
why was the outcome different to normal data breach outcomes
due to the adulterous nature of the website and being labelled a cheat and morally corrupt
if you had an email address associated with the website did this mean the person actually subscribed
no
what discourse is presented in the article
a victim blaming discourse operated in the aftermath of the incident
contrasting discourse which sought to refocus attention from perceived guilt and immorality of the victims onto the actual offenders
victim precipitation theory frames analysis through what understanding
through understanding the role of the victim in their circumstances and how they contributed to the incident
how is differential recognition of victims exemplified through the work of christie
what statement
states being a victim is not a thing, an objective phenomenon. It will not be the same to all people… it has to do with the participants definitions of the situation
are the victims of AM breach fitting within the characteristics of christies ideal victim model
they do not fit within this characteristics but instead
- largely seen as culpable in their victimisation through the subscription to the website, premised on its adulterous nature
articles presents research findings from what analysis
qualitative analysis of what happened in newsprint media
what was the first discourse of victim blaming
that victim blaming whereby victims were not seen to be victims due to the adulterous nature of the website
what was the second discourse challenging victim blaming
attempts to challenge this victim blaming by attempting to shift focus back to the offenders and criminality of the events which took place
why are all victims not seen as equal
based on the nature of offences and characteristics of both the victim and offender there is a potential that victims will be blamed and held responsible for any loss or harm suffered
how many articles defended the victim in some way
33
how many articles both blamed victims and defends victims
9
notion of victim precipitation by wilcox examines role of victim in their victimisation
shows dominant focus of those exposed being on the website in the first place
- argues that if they were not seeking an affair and subscribing to the website then there would have been no issue
what was largely ignored due to the focus being on the those labelled cheaters
offenders
what does prudentialism broadly advocate
that individuals should be responsible for their own actions and take actions to reduce the likelihood of a negative outcome
apply (1) weaker than the offender to AM
we don’t know as there are 36 million people so some could fit
DOESN’T APPLY - UNKNOWN
apply (2) going about their normal day to day business
secretive website that regular person following social norms wouldn’t conventionally do
evident in the societal reaction and public perception against the victims
DOESN’T APPLY
(3) Not to blame in any way for what happened to them
CAN APPLY
those exposed through AM breach were seen to contravene christies notion of the ideal victim
- christie argues ideal victim is one who is seen not to be blameworthy in any way of their victimisation
(4) not known to the offender
true offender was a stranger
(5) victim of someone who is clearly deviant
true
act of publicly exploiting these peoples personal information online is extremely outrageous, deviant, criminal
(6) victim is not a threat to the dominant social norms or values
victim is not a threat because it is their own private busienss never meant to be exploited
but can also be a threat as adultery is against the socia norms and values that you shouldnt cheat on your partner
