Some Thoughts On "Virtuous Victimhood" And The Rise Of "Friendly Fascism"

Over the past seven and a half years of the Bush/Cheney Regime, the American people have been told, at ever opportunity imaginable, that they are "virtuous victims"; a "victimhood" which blends high levels of paranoia, deep-seated insecurities and doubts, a high level of vulnerability and undealt-with frustrations, set against the background of a zealous preaching of "End-Times spirituality" in which the "mean world" and all of the "mean people" who've "abused" the "virtuous victim" are finally destroyed.

What makes the politics of "virtuous victimization" so intriguing is how this "virtuous victim" mentality has become interwoven with the politics of fascism, especially the "14 Points Of Fascism". Let's take a look at each of these 14 points, and see how they tie into the "virtuous victimization" mind-set which has become part of the character of the American people, especially those in the lower 80 percentile of family income brackets who've become programmed to think of themselves as "virtuous victims".

14 Points Of Fascism:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism -- This is pretty obvious; the "victim" rallies around something which he/she believes will "protect" them from the "mean world" which surrounds them like a school of man-eating pirahanas. The "Nation" becomes everything to the "victim", and the "victim" knows that if the "Nation" were to cease to exist, the "victim" wouldn't be living in this world too much longer, so the "Nation" is to be protected and lauded at every opportunity.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights -- The only individual who is "entitled" to "human rights" is, of course, the "virtuous victim". Those whom the "victim" perceives as being the "enemy" are considered to be less than human, and therefore, are unworthy of being treated like human beings.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause -- Once again, the "victim" is looking for someone to blame for every calamity which befalls them, and nothing can galvanized a group of "victims" faster than the search for (and the finding of) a "scapegoat" or "enemy" upon whom they can heap all of their pent-up rage and fury concerning their own victimization.

4. Supremacy of the Military -- For the "virtuous victim", military might definitely "makes right", and the military is the ultimate enforcer of what's "right"; also, the military serves as a vicarious outlet for all of the "virtuous victim's" fury and anger toward all of their percieved "enemies".

5. Rampant Sexism -- This also fits into the "virtuous victim" mind-set in that anyone who is perceived to have the strength to escape from their "victimhood" are to be kept weak, small and relegated to the background. Women have often been percieved as the ultimate "victims", and any woman who develops the strength to escape "victimhood" is considered to be very dangerous to the status quo, and she must be stopped at all costs.

6. Controlled Mass Media -- The "virtuous victim" wants to see and hear that which supports, confirms and reinforces their image of "virtuous victimhood" which they've created for themselves. Anyone who dares to tell them the exact opposite is considered to be an emeny of the "status quo", so the mass media must be tightly controlled in order to keep the "virtuous victim" message going, andto prevent anyone from telling the truth; that the American people are NOT downtrodden, perpetual "victims", but that they are a courageous, heroic people with the potential to leave future generations a better world than they one they're currently living in.

7. Obsession with National Security -- One of the aspects of the personality of the "virtuous victim" is an obsession with security in all forms, from personal security to national security. The "virtuous victim" is terrified of the "mean world" in which he/she has the misfortune to live in, and the "mean people" who live in this world with them. So, the "victim" is ready to go to any and all lengths to keep the "mean world" and the "mean people" who seek to do the "victim" grave harm at bay for as plong as possible.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined -- For the "virtuous victim", there is the fervent -- almost zealous -- desire for God to instantly intervene in human affairs, including sending all of the "victim's" percieved "enemies" into eternal damnation. In order to possess the assurance that Divine Intervention will be available when the "victim" calls for it is to align every aspect of life, including the functions of government, under the rulership of the Divine, and Divine Law will overrule and supercede secular law.

9. Corporate Power is Protected -- The corporation can also serve as a vicarious outlet for the "virtuous victim's" suppressed fear and anger through the corporation's powerful tyranny over other sovereign nations. So, that power, which the "victim" sees as a method of "punishment", must be protected at all costs, even when that corporate power is used against the "victim".

10. Labor Power is Suppressed -- Fear is what fuels the "virtuous victim", and anyone who's in a lower position, especially those who are in organized labor, are to be feared because they have the potential to upset the status quo by bringing in new ideas, which the "victim" sees as "foreign" and "alien". Therefore, the power of labor must be suppressed, lest they get the upper hand, and cause the American people to stop playing the role of the perpetual "victim".

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts -- Much as with the suppression of labor power, the "victim" seeks that which will reinforce and perpetuate their feelings of fear, doubt, paranoia, deep insecurity and "victimhood". Intellectuals and the arts do the exact opposite; they provoke, prod, confront, challenge, and demand that the "victim" be willing and able to accept a different world-view than the one they've grown comfortable with. This can be very threatening to a deeply insecure person for whom "victimhood" has become a "comfort zone", so intellectuals and the arts are to be ridiculed and disdained at every opportunity in order to keep them from attempting to free ther minds and souls of the "victims" so they can become powerful individuals who are able to shape and change history.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment -- Again, the "victim" yearns to see the "bad guys get theirs", even if it's done vicariously, so the obsession with crime and punishment is a natural outgrowth from the obsession with national security. The fact that this obsession is rampant among the American people is demonstrated by the number of cable and broadcast TV channels which devote a huge chunk of their prime-time programming to TV shows and documentary programs about crime and punishment.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption -- For the "virtuous victim", the "end always justifies the means", and if it means engaging in rampant cronyism and corruption in order to obtain whatever it is which the "victim" seeks, then ... that's what will be done.

14. Fraudulent Elections -- The "virtuous victim" realizes that all he/she is required to do is to cast a vote for a particular candidate, and in order to insure that a candidate who will continue the "status quo" is selected, elections are regularly rigged in an effort to keep the political system closed, insular and permanently detached from the people whom it's supposed to serve.

Something to ponder as we approach "Independence Day" for a Republic which is slowly but surely fading into twilight, devoured by parasitical delusions of empire, imaginary "wealth" and war, and the politics of "virtuous victimization".