DEMOCRAT AGENDA IN TWO WORDS: VICTIM MENTALITY
I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a simple explanation for the agenda of the Left. While some of the liberal ideas started with a noble groundwork such as equality for all, etc., the Left has been hijacked by a force called “Victim Mentality”.
In education, we have a failing system in the U.S. While the Republicans want to raise standards, require responsibility and motivate, the Democrats want to lower standards, point fingers and accept mediocrity. When children do poorly on a standardized test, the kids are the victims of a racist test. When a student-athlete graduates high school with a 4th grade reading level, blame the coaching staff and “sports institution”, not the athletic victim. When the dropout rate begins to soar, don’t question the truants or their parents, they’re just victims.
In business, we see this phenomenon as well. With terms like “big business”, “big oil”, “big tobacco”, “big auto”, we’re able to conjure up a David vs. Goliath scenario…..with the poor working class Americans as the little guy. We treat smokers like they’re victims of an unknown danger……a danger unknown to those who have lived under a rock for the last half century, maybe. Big evil fast food chains are killing people with their fatty foods…..but it’s not the responsibility of the individual to limit their intake of grease, fries and junk, is it? The irony was, as is in real life, that David was the victor, likewise, we as a mass, control those industries, they don’t control us. Think I’m wrong? Gather 1/2 the fast food restaurant customers in the country….just half, and boycott the purchase of fast food for a year and see what happens. Another irony to this is that most of these liberals who complain about “big business” enjoy the fruits of these evil empires. They drive cars, buy houses or rent apartments, eat at restaurants, talk on telephones, watch televisions and more with the products of “big business”. If these people had to go out and build these items themselves, most wouldn’t be able to. The advantages to big business are the economies of scale and we enjoy them everyday in having choices of products from all over the world, lower costs than providing them to ourselves, or simple logistics (our inability to make a phone call, if we had to build the phone and construct the lines to all of our friends and family ourselves).
In social programs, we see the victim mentality. We don’t require that those receiving aid and capable of working, actually do something. We just require they show need and blame their situation on others. We don’t look to the best way to get them on their feet, we look for the easiest way to distribute a check. Afterall, the liberals contend, it’s not the fault of most of these people, they’re just victims….of society, of bad luck, of big business….whatever. Sure, there are a few truly needy folks, but those are better left served by the local community, not a one-size-fits-all national program.
One of the most prevalent areas of victim mentality is the criminal justice system. Long gone are the days where criminals are actually held responsible. Liberals now have created a system that blames society for a serial killer, blames playground bullies for a rapist, blames minimum wage for someone going postal and blames the dead for putting themselves in the path of a killer. Instead of punishing, taking responsibility and deterring criminals, liberals excuse, reason and explain away their behavior. “You just need to understand his mind” or “look at his childhood” become the rallying cries. It’s ridiculous. Take the old case of Rodney King. The guy was (and continues to be) a habitual criminal, on drugs, running from and trying to attack the cops. After a few minutes of forceful restraint, he’s immediately cast into heroism, given a multimillion dollar settlement and is viewed as the victim, not a lowlife criminal that he is. When the cops are acquitted of wrongdoing in the case, thousands take to the streets to riot, loot (from small businesses, many going under as a result) and destroy billions of dollars of city infrastructure…..but who’s accountable? That’s right…. the racist criminal justice system. It’s totally freakin’ absurd.
How about the recent tax cuts? Instead of the focus being on the true victims of an unfair progressive tax system, the focus, instead, was on the victims like our children and grandchildren “who will have to fund this tax cut later”, or the “poor” who are so oppressed by the “rich” that they deserve lower tax rates and higher tax rebates. Create victims and you can get their votes.
Finally, let’s look at America’s standing in the world court. We have the liberals calling our war in Iraq “illegal and unjust”…..making Saddam out to be the victim. We destroy the Taliban, an evil regime in Afghanistan, and it’s “you’ve just blown the country back to the stone ages”…..untrue, but still, the Taliban were just victims of our “empire building”. We capture al Qaeda members and hold them for questioning and the Left screams abuse, cruel and unusual, and barbaric treatment…..just more victims. Our interests are bombed all over the world, and yet somehow, it’s the bombers who were justified because they’re victims of our foreign policy. Terrorists kill 3,000 of our own, tear down several skyscrapers, destroy 4 airplanes and slow our economy…..but they’re the victims because we don’t do more for their cause.
All in all, it’s become a political strategy. If you can create enough victims in the world, you can swoop in as “defender of their cause” and gain their votes. It has been a brilliant strategy in the political arena, because representatives do just that, “represent”. The democrats have held a monopoly on victimization for quite some time and they’ve become arrogant about it, which is costing them dearly now. You see, they’ve carved up so many victim groups that the interests among each group conflicts with the needs of another and the democrats are finding their “hero” resources running thin trying to support so many vast wants and needs. They’ve fractured society into so many fragments, it’s impossible for them to swoop in and save the day when their actions help one group, but hurt another. The tide is shifting. The real victims are coming home to roost, and we’re not taking it anymore!
