Not exactly asshole victim

Hi all, just registered to ask something that is bugging me: the asshole victim trope is there as part of the tropes of "well, they deserved it after all".

But is there a trope that embodies the fact that victims, well, are not perfect? I don't want to get to real life examples, but let's say someone that has been abused and after some time media discovers that this someone also abused or committed some crimes, maybe unrelated, maybe also serious? I mean, is there any trope in particular that talks about how victims are not perfect(but remain victims), or is this too broad or too real life?

Thanks

Try asking in the Trope Finder.

I think you're also thinking too deeply about the trope. The idea is that an Asshole Victim doesn't actually deserve what happens to them because what happens to them isn't their fault and is unrelated to their asshole-ish-ness, however the audience just doesn't feel sympathy for them because they were an asshole. It's not to say that the Asshole Victim isn't still a genuine victim like other victims are, or that "actual" victims are perfect, it's more just a way to have a bad thing happen to someone the audience won't cry over.

Asshole Victim is primarily about Karma, they may not be directly responsible for THIS misfortune but they certainly aren't innocent of any wrongdoing and probably deserved something like this anyway. The trick is there is still a threshold of behavior and retribution the work is responsible for. A guy who has a mild road rage incident while stuck in traffic probably doesn't deserve to be eviscerated by the monster. In contrast a guy who is abusive to his family and steals from the homeless very well might.