There is a certain trend I’ve noticed that has become
pervasive in the zeitgeist. It is the tendency to put those who are suffering
up on a pedestal; anyone who could be described as weak or indigent or miserable
in any way enjoys a special status in the hearts of society. You can observe
this in entertainment. In particular, movies that exploit the misery of a
certain demographic of individuals have become very popular amongst the
adherents to this cult of suffering. Films like Forrest Gump, Schindler’s List,
and Passion of the Christ are all movies that fall into this category. Their
appeal lies in their ability to make the audience members sympathize with the
misery and woe of the characters therein. The trend can be observed in social
media especially. If you look on YouTube, you will see that many so-called
vloggers exploit themselves and become victims of their own doing. The vlogger
MrRepzion is archetypal of this. Most of his videos depict him exploiting
himself and the various misfortunes that happen to befall him. On the site
Reddit as well, many of the most up-voted AMA’s and text posts express the “woe
is me” worldview. We live in a society in which the downtrodden and indigent
are looked upon as infallible heroes and the self-sufficient, confident people
are merely default zeroes.
I call this trend the cult
of suffering. It has infected the minds and the attitudes of many people. The consequence of this trend is
that those who are miserable and are suffering have become infallible. You dare
not criticize miserable people in civil discussions unless you wish to be labelled
as a sadist or an insensitive chauvinist. You dare not point out that those who suffer may do
so of their own actions. In feminist circles, you get labelled as a “victim-blamer”
if you even have the audacity to suggest that women take precautions to avoid
being victimized. In the political sphere, you get labelled as a Social-Darwinist
or a Nazi if you dare propose that the economic failures of the system were a
result of their own lack of responsibility. Poverty and misery are the traits which people idolize. In the modern view of things, you are only righteous
insofar as you have experienced misfortune. People who are successful are
looked upon as arrogant pricks and if you advocate personal responsibility to
change your condition for the better, then you have committed social suicide.
Why do people think this way? Why would someone rather listen
to the viewpoint of someone who is depressed than that of someone with high
self-esteem? The answer is plain and logical: It requires effort to become
happy. It is necessary for you to get off your lazy ass and pursue your goals
in order to attain success. This is why most people would rather praise the
failures of society; because it lowers the standard of greatness and thus
validates their own self-worth. It is much easier to whine and grumble about
how you are a victim of various forces outside your control than to actually
take charge of your life and impact it in a positive way. Get up from your
fucking computer for once and actually do something.
Another consequence of this cult of suffering is that those
who display any modicum of conceit or confidence are basically spat upon. Those
who are successful and happy are made into villains because they are the
antithesis from those who suffer. I adhere to the opposite view of this. I
believe that those who are confident and arrogant are the goal to which
everyone should aspire. Look no further than the public opinion of rich people to
see how this cult of suffering operates. The downtrodden and indigent never
cease to claim they are somehow being victimized by the rich and that is why
they cannot better their condition. Look at the attitude towards successful
businessmen to see how this trend has portrayed the strong and self-sufficient
as callous pigs.
Self
victimization is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you wallow through life
claiming to be a victim of something or another, then you will act as though
you are a victim. When you act like a victim, people will tend to victimize you
because you make yourself seem vulnerable. Adherents to the cult of suffering claim their own misery as proof of their supposed
victimization, when in reality; it was by the consequences of their own actions
that they allowed themselves to be taken advantage of.
Don’t be ashamed of your own self esteem. You are only
valuable insofar as you value yourself and anyone who says otherwise only wants
to drag you down to their level of misery. Also, just because you are suffering
doesn’t make you a saint. More often than not, one’s misery is the result of bad
judgment and poor decisions. Don’t be fooled into showering praise upon the weak
and indigent simply because they are. It only lowers you to their standard and lowers
the standard of praise itself.
