In response to the comments some victims of rape hear, Tumblr users applied the same messages to a story about a man who died after he was set on fire.
Victim sets fire to her rapist. Tumblr users reply with how people reply to rape cases.
Here are some of the comments about the story that highlight the absurd things people often say about victims of rape.
"Well he was asking for it, dressing in flammable clothing."
"If he didn't want to get set on fire, he should have stayed indoors."
"He was probably drinking that night, alcohol makes you susceptible to fire."
"If it's a legitimate inferno, the male body has ways to try and shit that whole thing down"
"Why didn't he stop, drop, and roll? He should have stopped, dropped, and rolled. He must have secretly wanted it."
"If you read the article, eyewitnesses said the man had purchased a lighter earlier that same day. Dude probably set himself on fire and lied about it. Typical."
"He should have relaxed and enjoyed it. After all it was only just a bit of kindling cuddling."
"We need to start educating people about wearing fire-safe clothing and carrying extinguishers with them at all times. For their own safety.
"It's his parents fault, they should have educated him more about what sort of fireproof clothing in appropriate for young men like himself."
The story they reference isn't new. In 2013, A woman in India set fire to her alleged rapist. The incident happened a year after a woman died from injuries after being gang-raped on a moving bus in Delhi.
The Tumblr comments have gone viral on numerous occasions during the last two years and continue to rack up hundreds of thousands of notes.
The idea behind the Tumblr post has also been used in other ways. A mock investigation called Mr. Smith is also often used to demonstrate how victim blaming can be applied to other situations:
Investigator: Mr. Smith, you allege to have been help up at gunpoint on the corner of First and Main.
Mr. Smith: Yes.
Investigator: Did you see a gun?
Mr. Smith: No.
Investigator: So, you made a conscious decision to comply with his demands rather than resist?
Mr. Smith: Yes.
Investigator: Did you scream? Cry out?
Mr. Smith: No.
Investigator: In other words, you didn't try to get help for yourself.
Mr. Smith: I was afraid to.
Investigator: I see. Have you ever been held up before?
Mr. Smith: No.
Investigator: Have you ever given money away?
Mr. Smith: Yes, of course.
Investigator: And you did so willingly?
Mr. Smith: What are you getting at?
Investigator: Well, let's put it like this, Mr. Smith. You've given money away in the past. In fact, you have quite a reputation for your generosity. How can we be sure that you weren't planning on having your money taken by force?
Mr. Smith: Listen, if I wanted…
Investigator: Never mind. What time did this hold up take place?
Mr. Smith: About 11:00 p.m.
Investigator: You were out on the street at 11:00 p.m.? Doing what?
Mr. Smith: Just walking.
Investigator: Just walking? You know that it's dangerous being out on the street late at night. Weren't you aware that you could have been held up?
Mr. Smith: I hadn't thought about it.
Investigator: What were you wearing?
Mr. Smith: Let's see - a suit. Yes, a suit.
Investigator: An expensive suit?
Mr. Smith: Well, yes. I'm a successful lawyer, you know.
Investigator: In other words Mr. Smith, you were walking around the streets late at night in a suit that practically advertised the fact that you might be a good target for some easy money, isn't that so? I mean, if we didn't know better, Mr. Smith, we might even think that you were asking for this to happen, mightn't we?
Last November, journalist Caitlin Kelly tweeted a series of comments similar to these two approaches, but about a man who had a wallet stolen:
"I think that guy I know stole my wallet." Well, do you have proof? Were you drinking that night? What were you wearing when this happened?
But he seems like such a nice guy. Plus, he already has already has a wallet. Why would he need YOUR wallet?
Are you sure that you didn't just GIVE him your wallet, and now you're embarrassed about it? Maybe there was just some miscommunication.
Have you lost wallets before? Just curious, just trying to get a better sense of what's going on here. He has such a bright future.
You know, there are other ways of giving people money besides having them steal your wallet. Did you think about that?
All guys want wallets, it's just in their nature. Maybe you shouldn't have had a wallet in the first place.