Victim Mentality

[Psych_hopeful]

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Kinda a concern of mine. I'm not saying there aren't actual victims of crimes such as murder, robbery, etc.

However, it feels like in the USA there is a mentality floating around that "Group X" is oppressing me because of whatever perceived offenses the other side claims. Things like "White Privilege", "SJWs" or "immigrants taking our jobs" keep popping up on both sides of the political aisle that discussion becomes relatively impossible.

It seems certain that a large part of the public discourse has become "I am the victim of my own circumstances and there is little I can control". I'm going to call this victim mentality. I'm wondering what it is going to take for mentality can be dismantled.

I feel like a mentality like this poisonous for the nation.

 

[Abby Atwood]

To provide a counterpoint, I do think it’s reasonable to actually look at these claims and see what can be done to improve individual circumstances through broader actions. Even claims that don’t necessarily hold much water (e.g. immigrants are taking our jobs) probably point to other real issues when it comes to that persons employment opportunities. I live in a majority minority town yet, at our office, nearly every medical professional with a degree is white. I don’t think that is coincidence. I think that points to disparities in opportunity. I also don’t think there is anything wrong with a person recognizing the additional challenges that they may face. It seems like a healthy approach to things.