Framing the Victim examines not only domestic violence, but also the larger picture of how politics and processes shape our responses to social problems. Berns shows how victims of domestic violence are falsely blamed for a crime committed by another. She critiques with insight the stories that emerge when social problems are formed by guidelines that promote entertainment, victim empowerment, drama, inspiration, and a political agenda.
This unique book indicates both the gains and the losses in understanding reality from the prism of television talk shows, women’s magazines, and political magazines with a wide variety of agendas. Berns fully appreciates how this emphasis on victims may have contributed to useful outcomes for intervention and providing resources for victims; but there remain serious barriers to achieving a public awareness of the larger context of violence. Berns provides suggestions for constructing a social problem that focuses less on the victim, and more on the abuser as well as the cultural and social context within which violence is learned and tolerated.
