Does the Perpetrator Deserve Sympathy?

Question

Why do people often identify with the perpetrator more than the victim? How can this be justified to the victim?

Answer 1

There but for theGrace of God go I.

Answer 2

At first thought, I would say 'No!'

I understand that people who do bad things usually had bad things done to them, But I have a serious problem with that being passed on to me (sorry, others).

Actually, if you have to be realistic and honest about the situation, a wrongdoing is a wrongdoing is a wrongdoing. We cannot go around harming people because we are not happy with our own lives. In fact, we have to be responsible for how we behave, especially if we are old enough to reason.

Children are excusable because they have no recourse. They ought to be protected and in every instance when they are harmed, the perpetrator is at fault. No child is responsible for being hurt.

What angers me intensely are those case where someone - perhaps a wife is beaten by her husband and some fools seem to think she ought to be submissive and not complain. In another instance, the criminal breaks the law and the law protects him, claiming he has rights. I say "Not so!" The moment he crosses that line, he is no longer right but left. He sacrifices his rights when he breaks the law.

Let me say that in spite of all of the above, I am aware that there rare cases, extenuating circumstances, they are called when a certain action must be carried out. But then, there cases are extremely rare. I most certainly am against abuse of any kind, violence against another person, hatred, the whole lot. The world is in enough of a mess as it is.

Answer 3

Liberals have that tendency which results in freeing the perp and therefore more victims. There is a tendency to try to move the blame to someone or something other that the guilty. Possibly it partially comes from the feeling that they are in many ways the same as the offender.

Answer 4

Depends on the crime and why it was committed.
A crime against the person. Throw away the key.
A crime of theft against a food store out of hunger. I can understand that one.

Unfortunately in a Capitalist economy (I am a capitalist by the way) some people do fall through the cracks in the system.

My golden rules to this one:

Did anyone get hurt or was threatened?
If yes. straight to jail.
If no, was it need or greed?

Answer 5

Simple,the victim has been,as the word says's,victimized against.This is a violation of his/her privacy.When some one has been attacked or injured,it is natural to have sympathy for that person,not, for the person who committed the offense.

Answer 6

perhaps we see the victim as being weaker than the perpetrator and it is human nature to favour the stronger of the two?