Virtue signalling has become rampant in politics. Woke spineless goons lecture others to make sacrifices they do not make themselves. The woke are often privileged, and we hear them preach every day. Sports stars, actors, media personalities. They live in big mansions with private security while they call for defunding the police. They fly private jets but tells the public to cycle or buy an electric car most of us cannot afford. Although exceptions exist, celebrities are mere hypocrites contributing nothing more than virtue signalling.
Many elected officials demonize the very society they are a part of. They have risen to the pinnacle of power, and still, they entertain the utterly false claim of victimhood. At the same time, they serve vicious attacks on hardworking taxpayers who dare to express patriotism or conservative values.
There is no denying that media corporations and the Democrats have merged into a significant political force. This joint venture exploits the soft underbelly in Western culture. Christianity taught us to be empathic towards victims of war, famine, exploitation, criminal acts, or anything else that generates suffering. Unfortunately, the political left has cleverly turned our good nature and tolerance against us. Our compassion has become a formidable weapon in the hands of the political left, which exploits our good nature.
Identity politics sort people into oppressed groups defined by skin colour, gender, sexual preferences and religion. The left has identified an increasing number of minority groups that are told their misfortune solely rely on oppression by the productive part of the public. Once an individual is linked to victimhood, he is excused from taking personal responsibility for his own life. Being a victim entitles welfare benefits, paid by current taxpayers and future generations.
Victimhood is very useful to political activists. Once perceived as a victim, in any marginal meaning of the word, you become inoculated against media scrutiny and criticism – and here is where the real devil lies. Criticism of a person or group having victim status has become a heresy. Good people face public harassment and character assassination for even questioning the honesty and motives of a victim. The false logic is simply that a victim or an oppressed person is always truthful with the best intentions. This notion is masterfully exploited by the political left, and that is why the victim industry is booming.
Congress member AOC serves as a good example. The former waitress is very vocal and equally angry with Western culture and the nation she is elected to serve. She advocates radical policies attempting to drag President Biden even further to the left. Some will say her only political capital is victimhood and virtue-signalling, something she exploits to the fullest. She claims to be a victim of sexism and racism, thus creating a moral framework based on oppression. She gives interviews only in friendly environments risking no scrutiny when she rants away on complex topics she has little understanding. AOC has millions of Twitter followers – a tragic testament to the numbers of (mostly) millennials who have fallen prey to a false prophet caring of nothing else than herself
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AOC is a mere example of the political waves sweeping through Western governments. Claiming victimhood is a tool employed by an increasing number of politicians and celebrities to exert extraordinary influence over the rest of us. We are required to bow down to moralism coming from make-believe victims. The threat from this phenomenon is that it effectively bans public discourse. Honest and respectful debates between adversaries become impossible because criticism of victims is considered offensive.
I grew up believing Dr King's message that individuals should be judged by their character, not skin colour, gender or group identities. The Clinton administration invited the Chinese to WTO, and the West has since exported our manufacturing jobs to foreign nations while we maintain our living standards by credit. The political shift away from facts and pragmatism to utopian ideas based on emotions predicts our culture has peaked. Future generations will have to pay for our excesses and our failure to push back against destructive political ideologies. We can only blame ourselves for letting it happen.
Only 2,6% supported Hitler in the national 1928 election, but he still managed to assume dictatorial power a few years later. It only takes a few to grab power when the rest of us are asleep.
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