Blaming the victim

Minority groups are particularly vulnerable because they are subject to discrimination, unequal access to resources, and lack of opportunity. Instead of actually helping these groups, many efforts seem to be just paying lip service to their problems. Only a relatively few organizations, individuals, and sometimes the government are truly dedicated to helping vulnerable populations. And as long as the majority group continues to hold prejudices, they will remain vulnerable. This is illustrated by the Roma population in Italy.

Often it is too easy to blame the victim. The very same attributes that are the consequences of vulnerability are misidentified as the causes (e.g. unemployment, poor health, HIV infection, lack of adequate housing). In the US, we feel that if these vulnerable people could just pull themselves up by their bootstraps then voila, problem solved. However, this view depends solely only on human agency and neglects the structural barriers confining these groups in their present positions. Vulnerable populations don't just exist, they are socially constructed and their problems must be socially ameliorated.