It seems to me that there is some misunderstanding here about the nature of abuse. It's not like a person gets called a douche, runs off in tears, and kills themselves, and there's a difference between the generalized level of bullshit generated by the human race and abuse.
Here, I'll make an analogy.
Every gas tank gets a little water in it. The gas that comes out of the pump has a certain degree of moisture, there is cooling and the condensation it creates, etc.
Some gas tanks are more vulnerable to moisture than other for various reasons, like the gas tank on my motorcycle. Because my gas tank is exposed, rather than being wrapped inside a bunch of sheet metal, more water gets into it. Add to that the fact that I don't have a garage to keep it in and that I live in a part of the country where it literally rains a statistical average of 3 days out of 4, and it's not surprising that my bike has more moisture related problems than your car.
So let's say water is human shitheadedness, your car is an average internet user and my bike is someone who is a bit more sensitive and emo.
OK, so yes, we all agree than everyone has to deal with some water in their tank, and some people just collect more water than others. But just because everyone has to deal with this doesn't make it OK to deliberately try and pour water into someone's tank. A person who does this might justify this by saying, "Well, you should keep your car in a garage, then." Sure, my car or bike would be in better shape if I could keep it in a garage, but you still should not try to put water in my tank, fucker! I don't care if I keep my bike parked on the street with the gas-cap unlocked. You should not put water in my tank! You think I need to learn a lesson about keeping my tank shut tight? Fine, point taken. Let it rain and don't put water in my tank!
Weakness is not in and of itself justification for attack, and anyone who subscribes to such idiot social darwinism needs to a.) quit bitching about how girls reject them, because by your own logic, this demonstrates you are unfit to breed, b.) consider the fact that, no matter how big and tough you are, there is someone in the world who is both willing and capable of kicking your ass in some arena or other. Just because you have managed to make it this far without encountering them is no reason to congratulate yourself, and c.) remember that you are only one car crash, one illness, one disaster away from joining the ranks of The Weak.
I would suggest that a great many of the people who say, "if you let yourself be attacked, then you deserve it," are themselves assholes defending what they believe to be their right to be assholes. Everyone has the right to be a flawed human being who sometimes hurts other flawed human beings, but nobody has the right to be an asshole.
I would further suggest that this "toughening up" response so many people seem to espouse is in fact the genesis of a great many assholes. If "toughening up" entails the amputation of empathy, then we aren't creating general social competance, we are creating ambient sociopathy. And besides, isn't it one of the general principles of civil society that people shouldn't have to defend themselves from attacks that shouldn't be happening in the first place? After all, this is why we have laws punishing criminal behavior, including harassment, libel, and slander, and have groups of people dedicated to enforcing these laws.
For god's sake people, quit justifying asshole behavior and quit congratulating yourselves for allowing such behavior to be accepted as inevitable. Rain is inevitable, a jackass with a water jug and a funnel is not.
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