Cyclic Victimization

Our system is set up, unwittingly, to propagate victimization. Here are are some examples:

A woman can not go to a protective shelter if she’s seen or feels the signs of abuse coming – but it hasn’t, yet. She must wait until she first receives the abuse to apply for help. Even then, if it isn’t physical, agencies debate that it has happened.

A family cannot risk getting off of Welfare unless a member who is willing to support the others gets a job beyond the gap between poverty and middle class. This is because once a family begins bringing in income, they get penalized by benefits reducing before they can successfully bridge.

Unemployment compensation pays out very little compared to a person’s normal wages, and if you try to supplement by working, any income you make is subtracted from weekly benefits. So if your benefits per week were $150, and you got a temporary job that paid $150 that week, you only get $150 – even if you need $300 per week to survive.

What do I mean by using the term “victimization” in these scenarios? My point is that we are penalized no matter the difficulties we face in times of hardship, and if we try to improve our lives, society only supports this if we are mired in struggle.

The woman cannot outmaneuver the hammer trying to “nail her coffin.” The family cannot prosper without fear of losing what little they’ve gained. And an unemployed worker has no hope for success unless they regain liveable wages..

No one is allowed to be happy during these trials. If they are anything but miserable, they are not seen as in crisis, and they will be denied services – or at least hassled and suspected of fraud.

Having a positive outlook – or feeling ok because the system is aiding you temporarily – is frowned upon with shame conveyed that you are a “burden to the system.”