Posted on 10/22/2017 12:27:52 PM PDT by Republicanprofessor
The Power of Being "Wronged"
An exaggerated sense of being “wronged” seems to be driving much politics today. The defensive shoulders come up, quick repartees are given and the battle is on. Representative Wilson thinks the war widow was “wronged” by the gruff condolences sent by the president. Black Lives Matter have been “disrespected” countless times. Both sides of the NFL crisis feel “wronged.” Campus snowflakes are uncomfortable with dissenting ideas. Friends on Facebook exchange barbs until they, too, feel “wronged” and insulted. Then the barbs become stronger. But is this complaint of being “wronged” helping or hurting the political divisions in our country?
Trump’s tweets are treated oppositely by liberals and conservatives. He sees his tweets as a way to combat the “lying media,” to energize his followers, and to make short points on what his administration is doing. Meanwhile, the liberal media often twists these tweets to prove their points: how disrespectful he is, how he insulted this person or that.
People writing about the left or the right often make generalizations that fail to accurately reflect the subtleties of each side. It is easy to do so. It is even easier for that opposing side to feel “wronged” by those insults or generalizations. Anger and hate build on both sides, replacing tolerance and forgiveness. And that’s okay, because to “forgive” is to be Christian, and that’s bad in the eyes of the mostly secular media, so let’s hate and be angry and that will be sure to stir things up and make an impression.
Has this been true of the past? The issues of the Vietnam War, the Cold War, poverty, taxes, gun control, abortion, affirmative action, feminism, the Hollywood and Weinstein scandals, the bias of the media…….how many of these rely upon the sense of being “wronged?” I am not a political historian, but I wonder if this anger at being “wronged” dates back several decades to when the issues of Affirmative Action and Feminism were on the rise. The personal insult then grew to become almost criminal in the age of political correctness, so that now is it all too easy to feel “wronged” by insensitive statements. Nowadays, one can be insulted by phrases that could have been seen as complimentary in the past. Someone may lose their job by uttering words like “nice body,” while some would love to feel that someone valued their less-than-perfect body. What good does it do to get defensive about such superficial “sexist” comments, to create such a fragile, politically correct atmosphere, so that people cannot openly say what they really think in any situation? One reason for Trump’s support is the undoing of such extreme political correctness.
There are bigger issues in the world than obsessing over mis-interpreted “insults.” Some of these include the Russian uranium purchases, North Korea’s instability, worldwide terrorism, and even the use of tax cuts to stimulate the economy. Republicans have decided lately not to try to trim the budget, perhaps because the affected groups will shout that they have been “wronged.” The GOP is scared of being called “racist,” so they acquiesce to the budget requests and traditions that have raised our debt to untenable heights.
There is a difference between true injustice--such as that which motivated our initial revolution in 1776 up through the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s--and a sense of entitlement going “wrong.” When we look for an insult just so that we can make political points, we are being petty and fake. Such personal, perceived injustices, chips on our shoulders, and the inability to forgive--these actions and positions lead to more entrenched political divisions as easily as such actions in a dysfunctional family.
People looking for insults within innocuous comments, and others looking to insult others directly, avoid seeing character and humanity in those faces of the opposition. Life is not so black and white that we can make these gross generalizations about those on either side of the political equation.
Weinstein’s accusers, however, have some powerful reasons to feel “wronged,” but the larger question is how such power structures exist to further such abuse and smother those dissenters willing to talk. Power speaks absolutely, and so does hypocrisy. The truth is that if Hillary was president, the abuse against young women by Weinstein and his ilk would probably be continuing. Those liberals who felt “wronged” by the election of Trump and who continue to despise him for this very reason should at least acknowledge this one positive aspect of his administration: today, those scandalous stories of sexual abuse are not being smothered by the press, not any more. And more and more stories of such abuse are coming to light.
Instead of such ready anger and hate at the inkling of possibly being “wronged,” I would suggest substituting more forgiveness and detachment. Instead of relying upon volatile emotions, wouldn’t it be more productive to discuss what is causing the feeling of being “wronged?” Is the complaint legitimate or is it manufactured? If the issue is truly catastrophic, like the Weinstein scandals, then let’s discuss what remedies can be made and how such an action can be prevented in the future.
However, right now we have too many people profiting from the attention of being “wronged.” And much of it is only based on the hot air of personal vindictiveness and attention-mongering and not the wisdom of reconciliation.
An exaggerated sense of being “wronged” seems to be driving much politics today.
The Culture of Victimhood is toxic.
Interesting subject. Hitler rose to power because the Germans felt wronged.
It probably goes back to the dawn of time.
This is what is wrong with much of our society.
People need to stop being so easily offended.
I guess that's what happens when the level of prosperity that we are currently enjoying comes to fruition.
People aren't so busy making a living and staying alive to that now they can focus on petty stuff like that.
When someone says that my opinion offends them, I simply reply, "So what"?
It’s a good answer.
Really, so what?
My opinion is my opinion and you don’t have to like it and it’s not a fact or made into a law so it has no effect on your life.
Get over it.
People need to stop being so easily offended.
Not having to deal with opposite-thinkers online bleeds over into meat space, where the proud assertion of horse pucky seems more egregious than in the past, and restraint to respond to it is diminished.
The anonymity of online commenting is so natural, we forget that real life confrontation is a different beast.
I don’t think they are really offended. They use fake indignation to win an argument. Such as: You need to work for your money and insurance. Response to shut down argument: That’s racist. Because they don’t want to work, welfare and Obamacare is much more fun. So the best response is to screech, “That’s racist!”
Therein lies the problem, the left do not want to discuss. Instead they always claim the moral high road, and refuse to listen to anything that opposes their beliefs. Just as man being the cause of "climate change" is settled science as far as they are concerned, no further discussion is wanted or allowed. In their mind anyone questioning that "settled science" need to be jailed or worse. The same holds true for any & all of their beliefs. They are right, we are wrong end of discussion that never began in the first place. They will not let you discuss any further. You will be threatened and belittled unless you conform. No wonder they love Islam, as there too is no room for discussion that might oppose their beliefs.
How offensive. 8>)
Look at this quote from The Russian Revolution by Alan Moorehead 1958 and see if it sounds familiar.
…but the fact remained that this was a predatory state which the Czar and a small group of noblemen and bureaucrats ruled for their own exclusive benefit. The peasant was a serf who could not have any ambition other than to die early and peacefully, or survive with a minimum of work, taxes, hunger and beatings. The ruling group owned all the wealth, enjoyed all the privileges and monopolized all the political power, and it did not intend to give up any of its prerogatives. It considered the peasants (some 95 percent of the population) to be little better than animals who could not be trusted with the slightest responsibility.
Exactly right! Please read my comment #12.
My neighbor’s white kids were on the high school basketball team with three blacks. The five of them were almost always together. I’d talked to all of them and they seemed okay. One day the three blacks stopped to collect a drug debt. The man told them to pound sand. The team captain pulled out a gun and shot him dead. Apparently it was, “pound sand,” followed by “bam!” The captain’s reason for shooting the man was, “He dissed me. I had to.” When I talked to the two white kids they nodded their heads in unison and said, “Yup. He had to.” Part of what we are seeing in politics today is a slightly more civil version of the same bad cultural tick we see in blacks. I read an FBI study, which I have been unable to find since, unfortunately. It was of black and Caucasian cops. The study concluded that black cops were far more likely to kill a black suspect than a Caucasian cop because they knew how dangerous their culture was. (It didn’t put it in those terms but that was the gist of it.)
We are seeing more and more black culture cross-pollinating into Caucasian culture due to exposure in schools, TV, movies and music. Black culture isn’t good for blacks and it’s much worse for Caucasians, who are raised in one culture and forced to interact in a different, and more violent one.
We Canadians apologize before we’re asked. Sorry about that.
If that portrayal is accurate, no wonder the Czar was overthrown. But is it accurate? I personally do not know as I have never really studied Russian history. The liberal especially those in power, treat everyone else like peasants, including those who put them in power. Your only as good until you vote. Then you can be ignored until the next election cycle. Sadly many establishment Republicans have adopted that attitude as well.
I call it the Power of Victimhood. It’s founded on the notion that suffering somehow confers on the sufferer some vague, unimpeachable moral authority.
There was a time in this country, where “So what” was followed up with “wanna fight about it?”
And if someone said the offensive things that are said these days, they got punched in their mouth and nothing was said to or by the police.
That’s why my grandparents emigrated.
Interestingly, I found out about this website today.
Walking While Black - L.O.V.E. is the Answer.
The founder, AJ Ali, has the goal of racial reconciliation.
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