New study suggests people with dark personalities weaponize victimhood (2021)
Narcissists have completely invaded and taken over every “safe space” as the predators they are. This has been my going thesis for a while now.Most humans have natural empathy for each other. There is a natural sense of fairness, desire for equanimity and caring for others that is built in to our social systems. This was recently experimentally shown that all humans share two social traits: a sense of fairness and that unprovoked violence is unjustOver the last 70-80 years society has made huge strides (though nowhere near "done") in supporting entire classes of people who have been systematically oppressed or otherwise victims of marginalization.More importantly though, we as a society have decided to give more grace and patience to victims because they need healing and support - something that non-victims and non-protected people don't get because they simply don't need it as much.Further we have systematically expanded the definition of what a victim looks like. I recall as a child that physical abuse was the only thing we would consider “abuse” but now we know better. Mental and emotional abuse can be as devastating if not more than physical, so we give grace to those who are struggling mentally – and usually in ways that do not present obviously.As a species, we have righteously determined that it is traumatic, crude and uncouth to interrogate someone on their victim credentials in order to prove they are actual victims. So the barrier to entry for being part of a marginalized group is simply telling your story.To people who aren't victims, this looks like a power shift but also a "break" from having to be a good person. Specifically there is a sense that political/social power is being systematically transferred from non-protected groups that have traditionally held power, to marginalized or protected classes of people.Whether the above shift in political power is true or not is irrelevant - as the true nature of who holds power hasn't shifted in any significant way from what I can tell.Malignant narcissists want to play life on easy and if throwing up a victim card just works then they will lie and do whatever it takes to be part of that group.So what can a malignant narcissist to do if they aren't truly a victim, that will confer on them the most prized status, that of victim?The answer is simple: Join a traditionally oppressed community by lying about your experience, exploiting the inclusive nature of the community so you can claim the moral high ground as a victim, usurp the organization for your own ends and continue to keep marginalized people oppressed.Rachel Dolezal [1] is the poster child of this.So, how do you spot it?At least for me, the most obvious cases are when a person from a non-protected class, identifies strongly and loudly as someone from a marginalized or protected group - especially if that marginalization is subtle and/or non-verifiable.[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Dolezal