It Is Good To Be Arrogant

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.