{"id":247545,"date":"2021-03-18T13:45:41","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T17:45:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=247545"},"modified":"2021-03-18T13:45:46","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T17:45:46","slug":"crenshaw-victimhood-ideology-is-getting-worse-heres-what-we-can-do-to-fix-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/crenshaw-victimhood-ideology-is-getting-worse-heres-what-we-can-do-to-fix-it\/","title":{"rendered":"CRENSHAW: Victimhood Ideology Is Getting Worse. Here\u2019s What We Can Do To Fix It"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcrenshaw-victimhood-ideology-is-getting-worse-heres-what-we-can-do-to-fix-it%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=247545&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/fb_image-1836.jpeg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\">I spend more time than most trying to understand differences between people. Not just differences of opinion, but dispositional differences, cultural differences, and moral differences. In my book <em>Fortitude: Resilience in the Era of Outrage<\/em>, I explored one of the most profound clashes of our time: victors versus victims.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">This divide is perhaps the most important cultural battle facing modern America, personified by those who proudly overcome adversity versus those who seek recognition for their victimhood. Empowerment versus disempowerment. Hope versus despair. Fortitude versus fragility.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">These opposing paths are a result of the stories we tell ourselves. We use narratives and stories to both set moral and behavioral standards, and interpret our experiences. Our culture, our institutions, and our friends and family drive these narratives which, in turn, form our perception of reality and drive us toward higher ideals. From a young age, your parents teach life lessons wrapped in tales of <em>Peter Rabbit<\/em> and <em>Cat in the Hat<\/em>. Jesus spoke in parables to impart lessons to his disciples. Stories are used to reinforce valuable traditions and behaviors in a society, even things as simple as getting good grades, sharing your toys, or looking both ways before crossing the street. Good behaviors and virtues stand the test of time because those who adopt them excel, while those who don\u2019t perish.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">But in modern America, the least productive of attributes are being increasingly elevated as desirable qualities. Victimhood is not only tolerated but celebrated. Whereas previous generations attached value to overcoming adversity and keeping complaints to a minimum, modern culture does the opposite. Past Americans might have asked \u201chow could I have done better?\u201dThe modern citizen is more likely to ask \u201cwho else is at fault?\u201d In the past, a proud family man might return a welfare check after getting back on his feet. Now, fully-employed Americans anxiously await their $1,400 COVID payment.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">This has also led to a reinterpretation of our experiences with a bias toward victimhood and blame-shifting. For instance, a bad grade on a test elicits a different story from different people who experienced the exact same thing. <i>I didn\u2019t study enough. The test was really hard. The teacher didn\u2019t prepare me well enough. <\/i>Note the subtle difference in narrative that leads to a profound difference in externalizing blame versus internalizing accountability.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The dirty little secret of this post-modern narrative construction is that it is deliberately unchained from observable facts or positive outcomes. Just look at the word choice of the modern victimhood enthusiast: \u201cMy truth.\u201d \u201cMy lived experience.\u201d They fiercely lash out at anyone who might question in good faith how such extreme negative emotion could be warranted by a given experience \u2014 does Ben Shapiro\u2019s speech <i>really<\/i> threaten your mental health? This is because they cling to a story, not a reality. The facts may even be agreed upon, but the \u201clived experience\u201d is not. A narrative has been constructed, and it is soaked in self-pity and fragility.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">In the relative comforts of the modern world, where true trauma and hardship are harder and harder to come by, this affinity for victimhood narrative construction manifests in more and more ridiculous ways. Safe spaces, micro-aggressions, and corporate sensitivity training have become normalized. The recent Oprah Winfrey interview in which Meghan Markle clumsily accused the British royal family of racism was less an accounting of the facts and more of a narrative construction designed to elicit sympathy. It is far from obvious that her story has any chance of standing up to scrutiny, and yet here we are, applauding those who proclaim victimhood as their \u201ctruth.\u201d<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">So why embrace a mindset that results in anger, unhappiness, and \u2014 ultimately \u2014 failure? Because it is <em>powerful<\/em>. In politics, it is a great fundraiser, as both sides have discovered. It can also be an attempt \u2014 albeit a blatantly cynical one \u2014 to connect emotionally with victimized groups for personal advantage \u2014 Elizabeth Warren\u2019s claims of native American heritage, for instance. As a rhetorical weapon, victimhood is used to link personal trauma to unrelated policy arguments in order to manipulate the debate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">This manipulation of trauma should be seen for what it is, instead of being celebrated.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">How do we get better? The answer lies in better storytelling. When a bad thing happens \u2014 and they certainly do happen \u2014 we tell ourselves a story about it. The story shouldn\u2019t be about changing the facts of the event or downplaying the severity of true trauma. It should be about changing our interpretation of it. We can tell ourselves a story of despair and self-pity, from which we may never recover, or we can tell ourselves a story of overcoming hardship and being stronger for it. The outcomes of each of these opposing paths are obvious. For me, one path would have sent me on permanent disability collection. The other path sent me to Congress.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">None of this is to say that no one has been victimized or traumatized, or that such claims are disingenuous. It is to say that we have no control over past events, but only how we grow from them. We have a choice: fortitude or fragility. We have a choice to empower ourselves with accountability or surrender to despair and self-pity. Admitting you do indeed have control over your circumstances is far more difficult than the easier decision to blame others. Nevertheless, it must be done. I believe America\u2019s future is lost if we cede it to victimhood ideology, where hardship permanently disables us. A stronger America is a more prosperous America, and we can only accomplish that if we become stronger Americans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">So, live with fortitude.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Representative Dan Crenshaw is a former Navy SEAL who serves Texas\u2019 Second Congressional District in Congress and sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><i>The views expressed in this piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a&nbsp;<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><i>member<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I spend more time than most trying to understand differences between people. Not just differences of opinion, but dispositional differences, cultural differences, and moral differences. In my book Fortitude: Resilience &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2310752,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/fb_image-1836.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"CRENSHAW: Victimhood Ideology Is Getting Worse. Here\u2019s What We Can Do To Fix It","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-247545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/fb_image-1836.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"CRENSHAW: Victimhood Ideology Is Getting Worse. Here\u2019s What We Can Do To Fix It","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2310752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}