35.1
Creating an Image of «Victim» As a Way of Creating Controlled Conflict Situation
An image of “victim” may be classified on the follow types: “victim-hero”, “victim-loss”, “victim as belonging”, “victim-tragedy”, “victim-country”, “victim-nation”, “multifunctioning victim” and other.
Constructed “victim” has to meet such characteristics of real victim as innocence and defenselessness. Therefore innocent children, old people, and women are appointed to the role of “victim”. Violence towards them provokes the tension of passions and promotes desired public opinion.
Process of construction an image of “victim” includes the following steps: actualization, “privatization”, heroisation, humanization, institutionalization, historicization (mythologisation), objectivisation, legitimization, sacralization, realization of “victim’s” image in the social and political practices.
Generated image of “victim” presuppose execution following functions in the real and potential conflicts:
- identification of people on the base of their attitude to the “victim”;
- creation of enemy image who is guilty attacking “victim”;
- consolidation of people to fight identified “enemy”;
- upbringing of “new heroes”;
- determination of people behavior in critical situation;
- image of “victim” is becoming the elements of culture.
Deliberately thrusting of “victim” problem generates disadvantageous situation for alleged “enemy”. Direct of potential oppressor’s image constructed, with necessity to oppose or annihilate it. The most important “enemy” characteristic is its mortal threat for person, group and society. Next distinguisher of «enemy» is dehumanization.
Special role in the process of both “victim” and “enemy” image construction belongs to mass media and first of all a television.
Generated image of “victim” may be used as motive for intervention of “third party”, for deliver a “retribution blow” on a real or an appointed enemy.