by blanc » Sun Jun 04, 2006 7:04 am
Indeed. These groups operate on a hierarchy, so, at any point in the line, a person is more or less contaminated and more or less pampered. But at some point, if we are not to deny justice a function at all, an attempt has to be made to differentiate between those who could escape the cycle of abusing and those who realistically cannot. I am thinking now of 2 young women, both were in ra groups, not from choice. One fled, battered by the person trying to stop her, and remains 'out' despite the abject failure of authorities to protect her and pursue the top dogs in the group, despite reprisals, despite the fear and the danger. The second in a different group, remained, though she had enough cash and basic freedom to escape. To the second, I would wish any justice to be moderated with extreme mercy, because of the erosion of her basic personality by abuse and drugs, and her low level in the group. To none of those immediately 'superior' would I wish anything but justice, because though I believe them to be somewhere in the mid region of the feeding chain, I think their choices were greater and their wealth also. Writing all this, I am conscious of 2 things, one that I may hurt those who have been close to abusers or victim/abusers and have an ambivalent relationship with them - there is some good in even the most evil - so I am sorry. Second, that I too am afraid. No-one who has been 'got' as a victim, however temporarily, by an abusive group, can be sure that there is no planted or manufactured evidence against them. In fact, usually, you are pretty certain that there is.<br>The connection between having been abused as a child and becoming an abuser is formalised in ra groups, with the very youngest of children being forced to 'perpetrate' in some way. We make judgements of guilt/innocence of adults in other analogous situations, bringing collaborators to justice for the assistance they gave to the nazi machine for example - when the argument may be made that they had little choice. <br>So, another 'test' is did the victim/perpetrator try to get out. This too is not perfect.<br>The argument that the psychology of a perpetrator 'makes' them commit crimes is at the far end of the slippery forgiveness slope, and the relationship between suffering abuse in childhood and becoming an abuser - (outside of controlling ra groups I mean), has led to an overweighting of justice against the interests of primary victims, imho. Not all abused become abusers, some suffer terribly to escape abusive groups or to live alone and unsupported because their abusive families are hell and no-ne else steps in.<br>I'd like to recommend "Stuart, A Life Backwards" by Alexander Masters, for its insight into the chaos sown by even relatively casual disorganised abuse in childhood , and many sharply focused vignettes into the failures of society to deal with it, and the blame the victim culture. <p></p><i></i>