Victimism

“We are all victims of our own experience.” A friend of mine was fond of saying that. And it is true. Our experience colors how we see and experience things. If I grew up in a house where we saw everything through “rose colored glasses” and everything was wonderful, that is how I would see the world. But if I grew up in a house where everything was a calamity, that is also how I would see the world and I would be a pessimist.

Let us stipulate that racism exists and it is a problem. I also believe that “victimism” exists and IT is a problem. “Victimism” is a form of pessimism. It is where your immediate and extended family continually tell you that the world is out to get you and to be careful. Anyone that doesn’t look like you will “get you” if they can. This was a common mindset among whites in the South 150 years ago, and is still common among some even today. It is also a common mindset among blacks today. I grew up with black kids that intentionally did poorly in school so as not to be accused of “acting white.”

Have blacks been oppressed? Of course! But not by all whites, only some.

Let’s start looking for more than the color of someone’s skin and judge them by the content of their character! That is how I raised my children and it is how they see the world. So do I.

David Snyder

Greenacres