Fight the rise of political violence — by calling out victim culture

New York Post ^ | Fight the rise of political violence — by calling out victim culture | Fight the rise of political violence — by calling out victim culture

[E. Pluribus Unum]

There was a time in America when political violence provoked near-universal horror and condemnation.

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan was a deeply polarizing figure — but when he was shot, his surgeon famously said, “Today, Mr. President, we are all Republicans.”

That principle is fading, as we saw last month after the murder of Charlie Kirk.

In a Manhattan store, I overheard a customer discussing that news: “I agree he was evil, but I do not think he could’ve been shot by anyone more evil.”

“Trump will get worse now,” the cashier replied.

Their tone was casual, as if they were talking about the weather.

Both seemed to accept that violence can be excused if it targets the “right” enemy — and that’s more dangerous than any one attack.

It’s a mindset I see regularly in my psychotherapy practice.

A patient might describe a boss as “toxic” or an ex as “evil,” and suddenly the fantasy emerges: If only this person were gone, life would be better.

Healthy therapy pushes back. Unhealthy therapy nods along.

Our politics increasingly resembles the unhealthy version — rewarding grievance instead of challenging it, and validating rage instead of cooling it down.

After the assassination attempt against Donald Trump in 2024, some of my patients admitted disappointment he survived.

“It would’ve spared us the next four years,” one told me bluntly.

Another said she felt “cheated” the shooter missed.

And what was most unsettling to me was both patients’ expectation I would agree.

This mindset is not unique to one side. Once opponents are cast as evil rather than wrong, violence begins to feel justified.

The politically divided responses to Kirk’s assassination and the attempts on Trump’s life prove we have gone from unity to justification — a dangerous shift.

Therapy has drifted in the same direction. Too often it validates grievance rather than build resilience.

For the unstable, violence is...

[lgjhn23]

It’s basically the same MO (method of operation) that the muzzies use. They’ll attack Israel, and then when Israel responds, they play the “victim”.
It gets old and doesn’t play well anymore either.

[packagingguy]

Claiming victim group status enables the worst of human behavior.

Watch this, a scene from “A Minecraft Movie”. The minute I saw it the thought of Muslim behavior came to mind:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EY4h38NaXwU&pp=ygUOY2hpY2tlbiBqb2NrZXk%3D

(I guess by posting this I’m excluding myself from ever going to Britain)

[Inquiring Minds]

Reagan was polarizing? He was elected 489 votes to 49 against Carter and then re-elected 525 to 13. Does this guy understand the word ‘polarizing’?