Women, Violence, and the Media: Readings in Feminist Criminology

Part III: Changing the Image: Feminist Critics and Criticism

PART III CHANGING THE IMAGE FEMINIST CRITICS AND CRITICISM Standpoint theory begins from the premise that female subordination yields understandings of reality that are fundamentally different from those of men and that the premise holds up when multiple forms of female subordination and male domination are considered (Collins, ; Harding, ; Wood, ). Sexual harassment in the workplace, for instance, reduces stress for men, who believe that sexual jokes or unwanted touching do not cross the boundaries of women they claim to know. For women, however, sexual jokes or touching violate boundaries, leading them to seek protection in groups (Dougherty, ). In studies based on college students, psychologists have repeatedly found that women are more likely than men to hold rape perpetrators responsible and that women are less likely than men to blame victims (Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Shlien-Dellinger, Huss, & Kramer, ). Gendered differences in experience do not automatically translate into what feminists call a standpoint (Wood, ). A standpoint involves reflection about gendered differences in power and the development of a critical perspective toward female subordination. A reflexive standpoint, however, is not the same thing as understanding how to combine experience and theory to criticize existing power relations and the gender inequalities that they produce (Wood, ). This last step defines a political consciousness in which feminist critics understand that individual experience is part of and is shaped by structural and historical realities. It is the starting point for criticism. In this section, we consider two issues related to standpoint theory. The first concerns strategies for changing gendered images and the standpoint of those involved in the process of producing media representations . Contributors take the position that the viewpoint associated with writers’ gender and with the expertise of news sources can make a difference in representing victims. The second issue concerns the role feminist critics play in defining a critical stance, in resisting and transcending the gendered terms of debate, and in testing the limits of gender analyses.·  · The Role of Sources and Writers In Chapter , “Victims and Sources,” Heeren and Messing address domestic homicides with multiple victims to show that differences in news sources affect how female victims are represented in news reports. They identify different kinds of victims: Women killed by intimates are often blamed, whereas children or hapless bystanders are characterized in positive terms. Attributions of blame appear to be related to a reporter’s reliance on police sources. As the official version of events, the police standpoint is determinative. In general, police officers have mixed views about domestic violence. Some are quite knowledgeable and are prepared to respond proactively; others are fatalistic, believing that such incidents are unpredictable and inevitable. Police may not blame all victims, but in responding to repeated calls from the same address, they wonder about the mental health of women who stay with abusive partners. They have experienced chaotic domestic scenes frequently enough to think that arresting both parties is a good option, and they are frustrated when victims refuse to press charges. The reliance on police sources has other consequences. In a study that compared perpetrators of intimate partner violence by agency (police, victim advocacy agency, and batterers’ intervention program), news reports that quoted police sources overrepresented people of color (McCloskey, Sitaker, Grignsby, & Malloy, ). Reality-based television shows such as Cops rely exclusively on police sources. They represent the police as helpful but leave the impression that domestic violence is concentrated in poor areas of a city or town (Consalvo, ). In contrast to police sources, domestic violence experts have strong views on abuser accountability, according to Heeren and Messing. They stress the perpetrator’s deliberate planning and his need for control. Lethal violence is understood by domestic violence counselors as the predictable outcome of a cycle of violence; it is not inevitable or unpredictable. Moreover , domestic violence advocates are critical of police and the courts for failing to take action and for allowing abuse to escalate to murder. They tend to validate the experience of women as legitimate victims—as opposed to police sources, which tend to blame victims. And, when quoted in news reports, their comments are more likely to include information that would help at-risk women in dealing with their own situations. part iii·  · Teaching reporters about domestic violence is a practical strategy for improving the news. In one such project, reporters were presented with a handbook on domestic violence...