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The Conservative Culture of Victimhood is not Helping

Pick Yourself Up and Get the Stuff you Need

By Rich MonettiPublished 4 years ago 4 min read
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Not a Victim, Life on my own Terms

During the 1960s, the number of people on welfare rose by 169%. A radical change had occurred and “culturally corrupted” the poor, according to John McWhorter of the American Enterprise Institute. The dispossessed went from thinking that they were doing the right thing by working to being lassoed onto welfare rolls. Thus, capitalism became the cause of individual economic ills and interpreting otherwise was akin to “blaming the victim,” McWhorter added. Sorry, I don’t really know. But the doctrine has been thoroughly accepted by conservatives, and the broad failure gives rise to the Right's favorite battle cry. The culture of victimhood means “we” must foot the bill, and the source of all my difficulties lay squarely on the shoulders of liberal ideology. How unfortunate, but who’s the victim now?

Don’t worry, I’m here to help, and we must first delve into a little psychology. The juxtaposition described above is called projection. “The human ego defends itself against unconscious impulses or qualities (both positive and negative) by denying their existence in themselves while attributing them to others."

They're a victim means you see yourself the victim. So instead of parroting the party line about “free stuff,” stop complaining and go get the stuff YOU want. I know, I’ve wanted myself many times.

Life starts sucking, and I set out for change. Senior year marked an early pivotal moment. Somers, NY would no longer do, and when the time came, I didn’t dwell on the desolate choice my parents made many years before. I mustered all my courage and embarked for Plattsburgh State. Exhausting all my options by 1987, the five year plan gave way to employment in Albany and then NYC.

The latter took some doing, and I didn’t lament how my 2.45 GPA failed to reflect my perseverance and aptitude as a programmer. I just hit the streets and a few months later, I had a tech support job. Victimless, I was living with three of my buddies in the greatest city in the world.

Unfortunately, the best laid plans went awry. Computer science was not for me, but blame was not levied at my father for originally suggesting the field. I realized I could write, and after work and on weekends, I began honing my craft. I wrote a screenplay and eventually found a home as a journalist.

A real career felt good. On the downside, however, I was stuck in Westchester again. So I endeavored to get back to NYC, and I didn’t whine about high rents or how the 2008 crash completely eviscerated my livelihood. I got a day job, rebuilt my freelancing base, and I was off.

I'm the boss

The adventure eventually ran its course, and a few more years passing, I was ready for another go at the city. But Covid reset everything back to zero. Even so, I’m not waiting for an apology from China or railing Trump’s many failures. I’m behind my computer everyday and cascading the world with resumes.

The rewards are already showing. So stop holding onto the Fox News claim that all those societal burdens carried are the root of all your sorrows. Lightening the load, you might see that the victimhood goes hand in hand with entitlement. In other words, the value I bring to my employer does not reflect in my paycheck

All this while lazy people have it made, I deserve more is the standard woe. Sorry, I’m sick of hearing it because you don’t deserve more. The proof is right in front of you. The figure in question reads right on your check. So stay late, get more education or standout, and in the end, just the effort will feel better than finding someone else to blame.

The same goes for living on your own terms, and not being relegated to demands of a soulless corporation. Oh my, the complaints never end, and pausing, might reveal the real problem. You blame the disenfranchised, because you never had the wisdom of someone like my young niece.

She landed a great job not five minutes after she graduated from College. But she knew not to be a victim, socked away her money for a few years and now has bought several condos.

She has big dreams in real estate and is already her own boss. Don’t despair, though, it’s probably not too late. You just have to make yourself accountable, have personal responsibility and stop blaming others.

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About the Creator

Rich Monetti

I am, I write.

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