Victimhood

As an essayist, one draws upon quite a wide spectrum of sources for essays.  Sources such as:  research, facts and figures, other opinions/thoughts and, of course, a lifetime of experience, observation and calculation.

Within this essayists latter group of experiences, observations and calculations comes the concept of victimhood which is that human only reaction to circumstances and events forcing one to complain, whine, bitch and otherwise prattle on with excuses, rationalizations and other forms of resourcefulness all directed to the simple act of responsibility avoidance.  How does this play out in this essayists world?  Well, try carrying on with a combination of excuses, rationalizations and other forms of human avoidance and one will receive this reaction from whomever is available to react –

“Oh, you’re a victim.”

These few words can be delivered with a wry grin – perhaps just obvious sarcasm – shrug of the shoulders – or with the quick dismissiveness that flows from someone who is clearly communicating this message – knock it off – if you want to do something about it get off your fanny and do so but quit your complaining.

What is the effect of such unempathetic support?  Well, one knocks it off and is left to face the facts – either live with it or do something about it.

Most of us get 70 or 80 years to learn and do something about it.  Most of us have the health and the brain power to actually use a good part of that time to do something about it.   Most of us also have the good fortune; actually the blessing of knowing that if we don’t do something about it it will forever be on us – try as hard as we may to deflect it elsewhere.

So out of this situation arrives the confluence of doing something about it – aka “taking responsibility” and not doing something about it – aka “victimhood.”

Whichever path one chooses to follow makes quite a difference in how those 70 or 80 years unfold.  Not necessarily in end results but mostly in the act of entering the arena and playing the game.  But asking someone who has chosen the path of “taking responsibility” to have an “honest conversation” or some other such “communication” or sitting down with one who has chosen the path of “victimhood” may in certain circles appear to be constructive but one may as well invite a group of Zionists and Palestinians to discuss equal participation in Israeli governance, culture and society.

In other words sometimes the gap has nothing to do with perception and everything to do with how one chooses to spend those 70 or 80 years.

On the other hand if you are in the business of race baiting for vote purchasing we doubt that the above concept has ever entered your limited focus.  In the meantime,  those years do slip by.  And we have yet to discover anyone who proudly engraves their headstone with the words:  

RIP – victim

.