Our political correct world has created a new breed of human, one that I call the Perpetual Victim. The Perpetual Victim is easily distinguished from other people by their inability to take responsibility for their own adverse actions or ill-spoken words, instead seeking some other person or entity to pass blame to for their own unfortunate circumstances. Often, the Perpetual Victim relies on historical events to establish their initial qualifications for victimhood, and then extrapolates those historic explanations and applies them to their daily problems. It is rare for a Perpetual Victim to engage in moments of honest self-evaluation, for to do so would expose their charade for what it truly is and would force them to become responsible for themselves.
But a glance through many dictionaries will yield a definition of victim that has no mention of historic acts as a qualifier, instead alluding to acts against a specific person such as murder or assault, or untimely death. You will find references to victims of fraud and victims of war, but in each case, the victim is the person to whom the wrong was actually committed against, not some long dead ancestor or future descendant. But to the Perpetual Victim, actual individual harm is not necessary to claim victim status. One need only be a member of a particular race or religion or nationality to join the ever-growing ranks of Perpetual Victims.
Aside from the obvious benefits of never having to take responsibility for ones destiny, Perpetual Victims can demand special accommodations to “make up for” the ills they have suffered at the hands of society. They can under-perform at their tasks and fail to live up to their personal potential under the guise of social repression. They can insist upon special programs or assistance available only to victims like themselves, deserved as a form of reparations for the ills placed upon their group by historic actions. And through misplaced guilt or a simple desire to placate, society has embraced the Perpetual Victim and all of his woes.
This is not to say that, historically, humans have never been unkind to each other. Indeed, our history is filled with examples of true victims of murderous regimes, war atrocities, racial subjugation, or rampant disease. And, in fact, these horrors still exist today. But unless you have personally been harmed by these events, claiming victim status for yourself denigrates all those whose lives have been ruined or lost by actual injustice or through the ravages of nature.
American history is no different in this respect than that of any other nation. When ours was an expanding nation, the clash of cultures between the European settlers (soon to be Americans) and the native people created whole tribes of victims. Our continuation of the practice of slavery in our formative years provides another common example of historic acts that created a class of victims. These were people who endured violence, incarceration, decimation, and indifference at the hands of governmental policy and cruel masters who applied that policy with glee. Yet, in most, if not all, cases, the people who actually experienced these conditions are no longer alive today, making curious the claims of their descendants that they are also victims of the same acts. And while preceding generations could legitimately lay claim to victim status, and expect some sort of compensation or renewed opportunity for their years of suffering and subjugation, today’s Perpetual Victim seeks only to profit financially from their self-acclaimed victim status while contributing as little as possible to society as a whole. Their victim status is predicated by their state of mind more than on accepted present day practices.
So who qualifies as a Perpetual Victim? The beauty of this system is that nearly everyone can claim victim status for something. Native Americans, blacks, Hispanics, and any other racial classification that is not Caucasian can all claim to be victims of the white mans inherently racist nature. Women can claim to be victims of a male dominated society. White men can claim to be victims of racial promotion instead of performance based promotion. Children can be victims of a society rampant with violent imagery. The elderly may be victims of uncaring children. Employees claim to be victims of uncaring corporations. And the list goes on and on and on. And in our politically correct legislatures, each and every one of these supposed victim classes have been validated and catered to without regard for reality or Common Sense.
But unlike actual victims of crime or disease or violence, who often seek to rebuild their lives in spite of their misfortune, the Perpetual Victim rarely makes serious efforts to change those things or people who are supposedly “keeping them down.” For to do so would inevitably diminish their ability to seek special accommodations as conditions improved and their plight became less taxing. Or, if one aspect of the victim mentality is removed, the Perpetual Victim will actively seek out other reasons to remain as victims, when the true victim of unfortunate events will move forward, albeit with less vigor perhaps than before, or with renewed determination to succeed.
So what does all this talk about victims have to do with politics and social stability? What does thread have to do with fine fabric? If you have a large enough portion of society claiming victim status for one thing or another, and demanding special accommodations or reparations, your population begins to fracture into small, malcontented groups, each seeking a cut of the public money as remedy to their troubles. And as each group seeks reformed social practices to atone for prior actions by their historical oppressors, the expectations of society are lowered for individuals in general, and for the “victims” especially. This pulling in different directions by the different victim groups is not helpful to society. In fact, it works against the whole idea of a melting pot, where different groups can come together, share their cultures, and excel as a new, larger society. And perhaps the biggest effect the victim mentality carries with it is its tendency to not only follow each new generation into the world, but to evolve and become more insidious as it is passed from father to son, from mother to daughter.
It is long past the time that we put to rest the notion of the Perpetual Victim. Unless you are a survivor of genocide, a subject of a tyrannical regime, an escapee from a modern day slavery ring, or a prisoner of political or religious ideology (who has otherwise committed no crime), you can no longer claim victim status simply by being part of a historically wronged group. We have enacted numerous laws to prevent discrimination, and while it still exists in individuals, our national policies seek to establish equity among the people. (OK, we still have a ways to go towards equal recognition of homosexuals, but discrimination laws work for them too.) Therefore, the role of victim should henceforth be reserved for those who are actually harmed themselves.
As a final farewell to Perpetual Victimhood, we should establish a one time only National Day of Victims in which the federal government would publicly apologize for all past policies that enabled injustice towards a specific group of people. Local governments and businesses would stage community victim reconciliation events and apologize for any local acts of institutionalized discrimination. A review of existing law would be held to ensure that all acts of discrimination are truly removed from public policy, including preferential treatment towards historically wronged groups, in favor of equal treatment based primarily on merit and ability. Government programs created to help disadvantaged citizens would be available to all who need it, not just certain groups, but no large-scale reparations would be offered or expected. Personal responsibility for ones own destiny would be advocated and citizens would be taught self-reliance as a means to personal success. And discrimination against a specific race, religion, nationality, or gender would carry more stringent consequences when shown to be the sole cause of a problem and can be proven as such. This is not an attempt to legislate personal feelings, mind you, but rather an attempt to keep irrational prejudices out of the public sphere of action, thus eradicating the basis for the Perpetual Victim to make their claim. It’s time to quit blaming others for our own shortcomings.
Society can’t function and progress when everyone is running around complaining about how they’ll never get a chance to be successful because someone is holding them back simply because they are black or white, male or female, Mormon or Buddhist. With each new victim status granted we become more and more separated from each other. We become less the melting pot and more the tribal nation. America is a country of differences that have come together to create a stronger whole. While there has been widespread injustice in the past, and while there will continue to be individual injustice in the future, this is no longer a country that condones or advocates genocide or slavery or discrimination. We are a country of opportunity, available to anyone willing to put forth their best effort and contribute their fair share. At least, that’s what we keep telling everyone.
This entry was posted on Friday, June 17th, 2005 at 7:49 am and is filed under Common Sense, General, Life, Politics, Reform, society.
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June 17th, 2005 at 10:06 pm
Ken, this was a long post, and I find myself in a bit of a quandry.
As we are not really the “Melting Pot” long since described, but more of a “tossed salad,” perhaps the idea of “victimhood” or the label PV as you put it, is warranted. Even so, how does this square with the idea that the playing field is not truly level?
Certainly, the idea of, say, Affirmative Action is one that was developed to even out an already biased situation. Are you saying that policies such as AA are irrelivant or unnecessary?
June 17th, 2005 at 11:39 pm
Nicely put.
There are far too many people in the world who think everything is owed to them because of the color of their skin, for example. While I respect minority rights, affirmative action has been taken so far to the extreme that unqualified people are hired just to meet a quota. Being a white male in today’s society actually puts one at a disadvantage, at least in the working world.
-Steve
Games are for Children
June 18th, 2005 at 1:26 pm
Great post. What is scariest about the current mentality of victimhood, at least for me, is the possibility that intelligent people will realize this reigning opinion and act on it. I believe we already see the precursors of what can happen when such a thing occurs: frivoulous lawsuits, the inability to punish criminals (at least often, in my opinion, sufficiently), gross misjudgments by unqualified leaders in business, etc. And to what would all this lead? A society in which no one is at fault, and, likewise, no one could be blamed. And if this is the case how will anything get done?
June 18th, 2005 at 4:47 pm
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
BTW, the concept of a level playing field was erected for those that can’t compete. It’s a “feel good about myself” thing.
June 19th, 2005 at 3:19 am
Your comments on the ‘perpetual victim’ are true. The question is how do we turn people around from this victimhood and get them thinking as ‘survivors’ instead, which is a much more empowering mindset? Of course, that nanny-states we live in do not assist in empowering people!
June 19th, 2005 at 4:57 am
It’s been a while since I last read your blog. I’m glad I saw this post, as I find it a rather interesting problem to discuss. It seems to me that, though you speak in general terms, the basis of your piece is Affirmative Action policy. Now, I understand that from the white, bourgeois perspective, affirmative action takes jobs away from more “qualified” individuals in favor of meeting a specified quota of minority employment. Whether this actually occurs or not, and if so, the degree to which it does, I will not speculate too much. You neglect one very important aspect, in fact the crux of the pro-affirmative action argument, I think. Being that minority groups, whatever they may be, were indeed repressed for whatever amount of time they were, they are now, today, starting from a lower position. Things aren’t equal. The playing field isn’t level. People whose ancestors were slaves had their families subjugated for hundreds of years while white families were able to establish themselves, economically, socially, politically. It’s as though minority groups are at a comparable SES level that white groups were, say, a few hundred years ago. Minorites haven’t had the chance to elevate themselves into bourgeois classhood. There are still many governmental policies that favor higher SES individuals. Simply look at the way (some?) public schools are funded. They get funding that is scaled to the economy of the districts in which they obtain. That is, poorer communities create poorer schools, which breed less advantaged children. These policies, in turn, are bad for minority groups, as minority groups, as stated, largely have a lower avg. SES. Lastly, let us not forget that just because there are affirmative action policies in place, doesn’t mean that they are being effected. To imply that a white man (for example) didn’t get a particular job because a hispanic man (for example) applied for the same position, and the company needed another hispanic employee is rather insulting if you don’t know the exact details of both applicant’s qualifications.
Your notion of perpetual victimhood, also, seems to disregard what goes into the creation and development of an individual. Some people do not have certain capacities, or developed in such a way that they cannot see certain reasons as holding for certain actions, and thus, they are veritably irreparably disadvantaged.
June 20th, 2005 at 12:31 am
Lowered expectations and excuses.
Ken, this happens to be so similar to thoughts and ideas I have expressed as well. I have little patience for this culture of victims. Even if one can claim victimization (and as you have pointed out, that is fairly easy), why isn’t the natural proclivity to rise above it? Because it provides a lifetime of excuses.
I have been unwittingly dumped into this category many times. I have been told I am a victim of a broken home (I am not a victim of my family dynamic. It has shaped who I am). I have been told I am victim of hate because I am a lesbian (I have never personally been a victim of a hate crime and I am not a victim of the gay / lesbian history. I have learned from it and become stronger in the fight for civil rights).
There are victims of course but I hold a staunch belief that finding victimization is an extraordinary sign of weakness.
You can call me many things…but never call me a victim.
June 20th, 2005 at 3:53 am
Are we not all victims of sociaty? Whether we are a victim or not is in our heads. I choose to be a servivor. How about you?
June 20th, 2005 at 4:32 am
(responses)
Windspike- The concept of a level playing field can be a valid one, but one that I think sometimes gets more attention that it deserves. Individual prejudices can create imbalances, and only education and familiarity can combat that (with healthy doses of disdain for its practitioners.) But governmentally regulated policies that help eliminate discrimination through fines or other penalties can help.
So I can’t say that Affirmative Action has been useless. Indeed, it’s presence has helped bring minorities into the main stream more and more. But there is a certain element to AA that awards success based not on ability but on ones misfortunes in life, a system that rewards not effort, butminority status. Such a system inherently creates a subclass mentality, saying, in effect, that certain folks are inherently unequal to others and thus need a leg up.
I would rather we focus on creating individuals who can focus on their strengths rather than subconsciously insinuating that they aren’t jsut as capable or good as everyone else.
Steve- White males are probably among those most unjustly claiming special victim status as a result of affirmative action policies, even though in some cases it is a just claim.
Let’s not get hung up on skin color here though, since it is just one point of assumed victimhood people choose to don.
Thanks for dropping by.
Matt- Good point- expliotation of a victim mentality can only lead to a blameless, unproductive society where we all sit around waiting to be served while we bemoan our own horrid existence, horrid due, of course, to no fault of our own. Thanks for the comment.
Michael- The “level playing field” concept was initially intended to fairly integrate minority race citizens into the workforce and for them to receive equal pay and benefits. It expanded to include women, disabled folks, homosexuals, and so on. It had noble intentions, but the backside creates an entitlement wanting, blameless individual who thinks they are owed something simply because they are a “minority.”
In a truly “colorblind” society, the only minorities would be those who chose victimhood over personal responsibility.
Drop by again.
Geekgirl- Education, education, and then a little education. Teaching people to respect and tolerate differences, teaching people to value responsibility over differences in look or size, teaching people to reject a victim state for themselves… this is how we combat this insidious mentality.
Philosopher- This is not a piece strictly about affirmative action, as this kind of victim mentality ensues thorughout society. Look at all the civil lawsuits being waged and the askance of monetary rewards for mental anguish.
But I don’t really ignore the historic plight of minorities in this, or any other country, really. I only note that these historic wrongs are just that…historic. For people today to both lean on and enable that crutch to continue smacks of a lack of personal self worth and a subjugation of ones own capabilities in deference to assumed societal prejudices.
But my experience shows that most reasonable people actually value hard work and responsibility over any prejudices they may hold and often associate their prejudices to a class rather than to an individual, at least once they get to know a person.
“Some people do not have certain capacities, or developed in such a way that they cannot see certain reasons as holding for certain actions, and thus, they are veritably irreparably disadvantaged.”
Maybe so, but none of us are equal in all ways, and we each have to learn to succeed on our strengths. By insisting that we are too damaged to contribute or succeed, we are effectively throwing in the towel for no good reason, but in a socially acceptable way that excuses lack of effort in the name of “victimhood.”
Life isn’t fair, no matter what we do. We can legislate discriminatory actions, but we shouldn’t perpetuate the notion that being a victim will get you a free wide to success.
Great comment!
Lesbiencestmoi- Good to hear from you again. You obviously grasp the concept here, embrace it in your life, and you are in a position to seek the mantle of victimhood if you choose to. Good for you for not leaping too low.
Personal strength is the key to a successful life…regardless fo how you define success.
angel- The only apt time to claim victimhood is when you are physically harmed, decimated by disease or nature, or deprived unjustly of your personal freedoms.
But to be a survivor implies that you were once a victim too.
I choose neither. I choose to just be. Glad you stopped by.
June 20th, 2005 at 3:48 pm
I believe you need look no further than the White House to see where the “victim” culture is fed from. El Shrubbo has never made even 1 mistake-everything bad that has happened is either Clinton’s fault, or the fault of his advisers.
June 20th, 2005 at 4:05 pm
Another great post, Ken. I cannot think of another thing I’d add to it, so I’ll just move on with an electronic “high five” to ya
June 20th, 2005 at 4:50 pm
Yes, yes, yes. This is pretty damn fundamental stuff to leave behind when you think about it. Nice to see somebody writing good things this morning. Thanks Ken.
I’ve seen this so strongly in myself, to lay blame at other people’s feet, regardless of what the thing was that ‘happened to me’.
‘Shit happens’, it’s all in how we respond, and in our not choosing to think that ‘it happened to me’. There’s a huge difference. We have to transcend that victim consciousness.
June 21st, 2005 at 1:51 am
Hi Ken,
The more I read this post, the better I liked it. I share many of the same thoughts about victimhood.
There are too many people who feel that government is their nanny and that they “deserve” to get whatever they can from it, for free.
Victimhood comes in many forms, such as “tax cuts are for the rich” or “All Corporations are evil” etc., et al.
I agree that people have to take responsibility for their actions and lives in general, and stop blaming others for whatever problems they may have.
Perseverance is the key to success, not whining!
Those who get stuck in victimhood get trapped into a life of deception where they feel nothing is fair and the odds are stacked against them. They can usually scrape by, but never really get anywhere in life because they’re too busy blaming everyone and everything, thereby setting up their own road blocks and missing opportunities.
June 21st, 2005 at 3:52 am
Boy, I spend a little time away, and there’s so much content when I get back that It’ll take me all night to read it all! Oh well, I’ll add my 2 cents and hope I’m not just repeating what someone else has already said. Sorry if I’m being redundant – that’s what happens when you come in late
Nothing make one feel less like a victim than seeing those who are less fortunate. I know someone who is permanently disabled because an uninsured motorist ran a red light and smashed into her. She actually is a lifelong victim – the symptoms of her disability will remind her of that forever. On the other hand, she is well aware that it could have been much worse. No head or spinal chord injuries, for example.
I’ve worked with developmentally disabled folks whose conditions were non-organic, like a girl who was horribly messed up, mentally and physically, after her brothers gave her something poisonous in a coke bottle when she was little.
So, things can change depending on one’s perspective.
Also, there’s the old self-fulfilling prophecy aspect. The victimization mindset can actualize the condition. Labeling theory, I guess, turned inward.
By the way – my ancestry is Irish, but they got there riding in with William the Conqueror from Normandy. Do I seek reparations from the Vikings, or pay reparations to the Celts? I’m so confused.
June 21st, 2005 at 4:37 am
(responses)
JollyRoger- Good point. When our national leaders embrace this kind of thinking, it’s harder to show where the peril lies. But even though people can see through the excuses of others, they are still making them for themselves.
This is what needs to stop. Thanks for coming by again.
GTL- And a big high five right back to you! Good to hear from you again.
Chandira- Nice to have people reading what I write. Yes, this seems to be a rather obvious idea, but as I mentioned to JollyRoger, even when we see this in others, it’s often harder to turn the mirrow towards ourselves.
Yes, shit does happen. Does it make us unable to go on? That is the real question, and often it’s answered wrongly. Ciao!
OTTMAN- See, we can agree on some things! Thanks for continuing to drop in and leave some thoughts.
ShaeNC- Your examples are among those who can truly be called unfortunate victims. Their lives were physically (even the mental trouble of the girl were mainfestations of a physical attack) altered by anothers irresponsibility. But even true victims can make a conscious choice not to wallow in their misfortune. These are the folks to admire, for it is they who triumph in the midst of true adversity.
But for the multitudes of others who claim victimhood status over trivial things, we need to turn them around.
BTW- I have native American blood mingling with my own Irish, English, and Dutch. So I can relate to your quandry there. I suppose we’ll both have to settle for paying ourselves reparations with one hand while signing the apology note with the other.
(Subliminal message here- Victimhood too often is a STATE OF MIND!)]
Good to hear from you again.
June 21st, 2005 at 3:03 pm
But I don’t really ignore the historic plight of minorities in this.
I don’t think you ignore it but you obviously do no see the magnitude of it. Although I do see us as a society of victims, victims of all kinds by choice and that is unnecessary when there are real victims out there.
June 21st, 2005 at 8:04 pm
Ken
You have some great posts but they are very long. Have you considered using multiple posts to break down your positions into more easily assimilated chunks?
CoolAqua
June 22nd, 2005 at 7:27 am
(responses)
Alice- So you seem to agree and disagree at the same time. Welcome to my world. I admit that in an historic sense, there have been many peoples wronged and victimized, and as a result, these groups may indeed have a social detriment working against them. But if one does not allow themselves to buy into that mindset, which surely is less and less frequent in todays world, then one can rise above and find a better, more happier life ahead of them.
And yes, there is a difference between being a victim and being a victim of choice.
As you might say…”Curiouser and curiouser.”
CoolAqua- Thanks for reading the
w h o l e thing, even if it seemed long.
I don’t feel that spending five minutes to read some thought provoking ideas to be too much to ask, despite the tendencies of our mass media to treat us all as if we were 5 year olds, incapable of comprehending more than three or four sentences at a time.
Not everything worthwhile can be had in the blink of an eye. Common Sense is one of those things that just takes a teeny, tiny bit more attention and time, but is well worth the effort, I think.
Hope to see you again.
June 23rd, 2005 at 8:22 pm
I agree with you completely, people need to take control of their destiny, instead of bringing up 200 years of this or that to justify why the are not successful now.