This story appeared on WRIC.com, the ABC News affiliate for Richmond, Virginia on March 12, 2014 and we felt we had to respond.
Victim blaming happens when the victim of a crime is held responsible for the harm done to them. We see this all the time in our culture when you hear something like, 'They (the victim) asked for it because they wore a short skirt, are gay, are a woman, walked alone at night, didn't lock their door, stood up for their beliefs, etc.'
This time, bully culture has led a school district to call a young boy's school bag the 'trigger' for his being bullied by other children. The problem with calling the victim's bag a 'bully trigger' is that it tells the victim that he alone is responsible for being bullied. That's called victim blaming and should never be a part of a school's response to bullying.
Here at Buoy Boys Blog, we are all about boys having the freedom and ability to express their passion. This is the core of our reason for blogging. We support Grayson Bruce and his courage to express himself inspires us. We sincerely hope his school reconsiders the decision to ban his bag and doubles down on their efforts to stop bullying. Please sign here and show your support for the victim, not the bully.
