This piece was first written in 2017, and first appeared on my website on October 1, 2026
This is my final essay in a series examining sexual harassment and assault.
The first essay can be read here, which also includes more information about the study participants. The second essay can be read here and the third essay can be read here.
I sometimes hear people ask why victims of sexual harassment or assault don’t report what happened to them (or why they sometimes wait years to mak...
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victim blaming
Four extremely bad ideas that have been popular
Here are four incredibly bad ideas (that are still commonly believed):
1) That people should be judged for, blamed for, or feel shame about the behavior of their ancestors.
Of course, if your ancestors did bad things, you should condemn those acts. And if you directly benefit from something bad your family member did, you should consider if you can make amends.
But, logically, people cannot be morally responsible for events that they were unable to affect.
This bad idea (th...
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