Posted BY: Harry G. Hutchison
Today, Western societies can be characterized by the irrepressible pursuit of victimhood status. This quest pervades the West’s politics. Whatever one thinks about the meaning and implications of America’s recent midterm elections and however the dust settles, the profitability of victimhood status is fostered by self-hatred, the flight from reality, and the search for meaning as people answer the question “Who Am I?” by falling prey to identity politics.
Consider this. During America’s 2022 midterm election cycle, seven arson cases, including two church fires, shattered the calm of Jackson, Mississippi. Prompted by these events, Shuwaski Young, an African American and former Democrat candidate for Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional District, invoked the specter of Klan violence. He said the church fires were cowardly actions reminiscent of “historical acts of terrorism” designed to suppress the black vote. Later the sheriff’s office arrested Devin McLaurin, an African-American, in connection with the arson incidents. While the investigation continues, no evidence has surfaced showing that Mr. McLaurin is a member of the Klan. Instead, the evidence gives rise to the inference that Mr. McLaurin and Mr. Young have taken part in America’s victimhood Olympics. This conclusion tracks with scholar Wilfred Reilly’s investigation of more than 340 reported “hate crimes,” which shows that fewer than a third are genuine, as well as the 2016 Mississippi hate-crime hoax broadcast by the Southern Poverty Law Center. More likely than not, Mr. McLaurin has participated in either self-victimization or hate-crime fraud rather than voter suppression.
