Victim Chic Lives!

Charles J. Sykes, in his book (A Nation of Victims: The Decay of the American Character) noted that victim status is being used by many to absolve people of responsibility as well as to enable interest groups to advance their agendas. The book was written in 1993, and it's scope was confined to the U.S. Sadly, since then, the disease has spread far and wide. John Leo gives 10 examples of people claiming victimhood. The first three, for me, really brought an unwilling grin to my face:

CHILDREN OF WITCHES ARE VICTIMIZED BY HALLOWEEN. Coming to class dressed as a witch on Halloween is a violation of "equitable schools policies," according to the Toronto district school board. The board said it feared "traumatic shock" if children treat "the Christian sexist demonization of pagan religious beliefs as 'fun.'"

BRITISH MUSLIMS ARE VICTIMIZED BY PIGLET AND PIGGY BANKS. Novelty pig calendars, toys, and even a tissue box featuring Winnie the Pooh and Piglet have been banned in the benefits department at Dudley Council, West Midlands, out of deference to Muslim sensibilities.

STUDENTS ARE VICTIMIZED BY THE DISAPPEARANCE OF LOW WEEKEND PRICES IN BARS. Pressured by the University of Wisconsin and a federal campaign against binge drinking, 24 bars near the Madison campus agreed to end cut-rate weekend prices. Three students and a Minneapolis law firm failed to convince a Wisconsin circuit judge that this represented conspiracy and price-fixing. But they are suing again in federal court. Legal costs to the bar owners so far: $250,000.

In the interest of saving bandwidth, I won't paste the remaining seven examples Leo cites, but there is no drop off in absurdity. As they say, read the whole thing.