May 28, 2015
It recently was revealed that Joshua Duggar, the eldest son in the family featured in the TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting, and formerly an executive with the Family Research Council, sexually abused his sisters and one other young woman when he was a teenager.
Susan Cottrell, on her FreedHearts blog, comments on the patriarchal culture in which the abuse happened.
“Survivors of sexual abuse are not guilty, are not to blame, didn’t bring it on themselves, period. It deeply troubles me that we are still fighting this battle. Even more damaging than the act of abuse itself is the cementing of the inherent shame of abuse by blaming the one it happened to. Very unfair, very untrue, very wrong.”
She continues:
“But this system requires blameshifting in order to work. Those in charge cannot allow the men to be brought down (especially by underlings such as women).”
Read more on Susan’s blog on Patheos.
posted by Marg Herder
