
The Rise of Victimhood Culture - patmcguire
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/the-rise-of-victimhood-culture/404794/?single_page=true
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AnimalMuppet
See also this article, also in The Atlantic:
[http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-
codd...](http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-
the-american-mind/399356/)

As for larger conclusions: I blame post-modernism. No, really.

Post-modernism taught that statements are only true or false within a
community, not true or false in any larger sense. It also taught that all
speech is really about power, not about truth. These college students are
living that out. Seeing if I'm going to play soccer? That's really a power
play, not a request for information.

And it must really stink to have to live like that. Choose not to play soccer
for a semester because somebody used the wrong word in an email asking if you
were playing? Enjoy your nice sense of victimhood, because that's about all
you're going to have. You aren't going to have much of a social life, or much
of an open mind, or much peace and contentment...

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vezzy-fnord
What strikes me is the overbearing sense of nativism and ethnonationalism that
the Hispanic student embodies. Hispanic is instantly equated with non-white
and thus all aspects of Hispanic culture, including the Spanish language and
minutiae like how sports are played, are considered sacred aspects of heritage
being infringed by the white "hordes".

With a little _reductio ad absurdum_ , it's easy to make her words
indistinguishable from a sympathizer to an organization like the Ku Klux Klan.

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tonymet
The only sensible response to either side of this debate is to ignore it. Both
parties are seeking attention, without which, the debate would be
extinguished.

~~~
gaius
Both parties? No only one according to the article.

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tdyen
To drag this into the Australian sporting arena. There is an Australian Rules
Footballer here named Adam Goodes, (its not rugby, soccer, or NFL its only
played in Australia). He is a very good and very famous footballer. He has won
the Brownlow medal not once but twice (MVP) for the league and last year he
was honored as Australian of the year by the Prime minister. But most
importantly for this discussion recently he has been booed every time he gets
the ball and he is an Aboriginal. During his year as Australian of the year he
was outspoken about racism and Aboriginal issues. Which are numerous, health
care, incarceration rates, prison deaths, violence, alcohol etc and have never
been successfully addressed.

He called the booing racism and took a week out of the game, there was a lot
of support for him but also a large negative reaction. And part of this
reaction seems to be a reaction to the culture of victim hood. Other players
have been booed before mercilessly, he is a good player, other good players
get booed. Particularly high profile ones.

Is he a victim of racism? partly. Are supporters just booing the other sides
good player? partly. Has he made himself a target with some of his speeches?
Probably.

~~~
gaius
_its only played in Australia_

It's also played in Ireland, they call it Gaelic Rules there. I can't believe
you'd unvalidate a whole culture like that, you monster :-p

~~~
barry-cotter
Australian rules football and Gaelic Football are not the same thing although
there used to be an international rules series every year between Ireland and
Australia.

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dynomight
The discussion between these two students is youthful and stupid. That said,
it's good that things are out in the open and discussed. It's too bad that
it's now a permanent record tied to their identities. Her words are clearly
racist though. Racism, when not physically threatening, always strikes me as
being foppish. Maybe anything exclusion-oriented is this way.

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brudgers
The victimhood culture began in the US with the victim's rights movement
during the Regan Revolution. Victims of crimes became more under the law than
ordinary citizens. On this of all days, it is fitting to leave recognizing the
scars of its evolution on the American psyche as an exercise for the reader.

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gaius
It is worth noting that Spanish for "foot" is "pie" and for "ball" is "balon".
So by calling it "futbol" and not "piebalon" who is actually culturally
appropriating whom eh?

