I’ve been going back and forth about saying something for a while now, but it’s become enough of an issue that I really need to put my foot down publicly. I will not tolerate any victim blaming comments on Rat Song, nor will I tolerate any comments shaming characters for “not doing enough” to help those who are being abused despite doing the best they can given their circumstances. Dealing with abuse is hell whether you are the victim yourself or if you’re trying to help someone else. It’s not something that can be resolved easily in the modern world, to say nothing of a historical setting where people like William’s mother have an even harder time dealing with people who have physical and financial power over them.
If you find yourself commenting something along the lines of “Why didn’t William/his mom just [run away/stand up to his very dangerous father/whatever]”, stop. Think about the potential consequences. Think about the characters’ mindsets. Think about the implications of your comment. Speaking from personal experience, dealing with someone like William’s father can damage you in ways I can’t even begin to describe, and seeing people repeatedly insult certain characters (especially William’s mother) is… extremely upsetting, to put it mildly.
From now on, I will be deleting any such comments. Depending on the tone, I may give a gentle nudge as I know many of these come from a place of good intention (it’s completely understandable and frankly a relief not everyone knows or can imagine how it feels to be in William’s shoes). Otherwise… I hate to say this, but I might have to start blocking people for the sake of my mental health.
Please don’t beat yourself up if you left one of the comments in question. Mistakes happen, and people miss things. This isn’t a callout so much as a general PSA.
The rest of the comments folks have left have been lovely. I just had to clear the air about this particular trend I’ve been seeing.
Thanks for reading <3
