Why disregarding hypocritical blame is appropriate

Abstract

The topic of standing to blame has recently received a lot of attention. Until now, however, it has focused mainly on the blamer's perspective, investigating what it means to say of blamers that they lose standing to blame and why it is that they lose this standing under specified conditions. The present paper focuses on the perspective of the blamees and tries to explain why they are allowed to disregard standingless, more specifically hypocritical, blame. According to the solution proposed by the paper, while hypocritical blamers present themselves as caring about justice or about the moral or material good of the blamees—and they themselves half‐believe this presentation—their real motivation in blaming is less respectable. It is this problematic motivation that explains why blamees are permitted to disregard hypocritical blame. Ill‐motivated blame is often unreliable, and readiness to even consider it often involves a compromise on the self‐respect of the blamees.

The blame game: disaster, queerness and prejudice

“…, 2020; Statman, 2022). The way blame is wielded against a hyper-marginalised population is not new (Statman, 2022); however, it is apparent that deliberate attempts are being made by religious organisations and/or people who hold extreme religious views to stigmatise and harm people with diverse SOGIESC.…”

“…Blame is also considered to be used by people with a lack of empathy and/or care for the wellbeing of others, thereby employing methods to undermine and justify abuse whilst demonising and placing guilt on the targeted individual/population (Jakovljevic et al. , 2020; Statman, 2022). The way blame is wielded against a hyper-marginalised population is not new (Statman, 2022); however, it is apparent that deliberate attempts are being made by religious organisations and/or people who hold extreme religious views to stigmatise and harm people with diverse SOGIESC.…”

“…Disaster, queerness and prejudice Jakovljevic et al (2020, p. 221) contend that blame discourses are common following a crisis and blame is a well-practiced method "to incorrectly explain why certain short or long-term social, economic, political or health problems exist and harm the group doing the scapegoating." While literature concerning blame showcases how blame is often used to deflect self-responsibility, in the context of blaming diverse LGBTIQIA þ populations for disasters, it can be said that blame is used in a way not necessarily to avoid responsibility for the disaster, but rather, pointing blame at a hyper-marginalised population is a method to enact power, build stigma and increase one's status (Statman, 2022). Blame is also considered to be used by people with a lack of empathy and/or care for the wellbeing of others, thereby employing methods to undermine and justify abuse whilst demonising and placing guilt on the targeted individual/population (Jakovljevic et al, 2020;Statman, 2022).…”

“…While literature concerning blame showcases how blame is often used to deflect self-responsibility, in the context of blaming diverse LGBTIQIA þ populations for disasters, it can be said that blame is used in a way not necessarily to avoid responsibility for the disaster, but rather, pointing blame at a hyper-marginalised population is a method to enact power, build stigma and increase one's status (Statman, 2022). Blame is also considered to be used by people with a lack of empathy and/or care for the wellbeing of others, thereby employing methods to undermine and justify abuse whilst demonising and placing guilt on the targeted individual/population (Jakovljevic et al, 2020;Statman, 2022). The way blame is wielded against a hyper-marginalised population is not new (Statman, 2022); however, it is apparent that deliberate attempts are being made by religious organisations and/or people who hold extreme religious views to stigmatise and harm people with diverse SOGIESC.…”