The Manufactured Victim & How Therapy Culture, Safe Spaces, and the Grievance Industry Are Producing a Generation That Cannot Function
Not too long ago, a bright and thoughtful young person was asked to reflect on his childhood experiences. He said that he had a “traumatic” upbringing. When pressed for some specifics about what he meant by “traumatic,” he explained that his father was strict and did not validate or support his feelings. Instead of nurturing his “heart,” his father was only interested in correcting his behaviour. His father placed too much pressure on him. This created a lot of nodding heads and sympathetic expressions around the room, and many of the participants in this group’s conversation shared stories of “toxic expectations” and “setting boundaries.” [1]
The stories that participants shared in this group were not from families that experienced abuse or neglect, but rather from families that loved unconditionally and sacrificially. However, we have redefined the standard challenges that we all experience while growing up, whether it is the tension created by parental expectations, the discomfort of being punished, or the hurt of being told “no”, to be defined as “trauma.” The word “trauma” was once used only in clinical settings to refer to extremely damaging and life-altering violations against an individual. Today, however, we use the term “trauma” to describe all experiences that fall short of an individual’s perfect emotional validation, and this is not a compassionate treatment of others.
It is instead a cultural virus that is quietly debilitating our minds, hollowing out our spirits, and creating a generation of perpetual victims.
In this article, I will explain the three main elements of this cultural phenomenon that are creating a foundation for the growth of our current Culture of Therapy (which treats all aspects of everyday life as though they are pathological), the institutionalisation of intellectual cowardice through Safe Spaces and Trigger Warnings, and the emergence of a Grievance Industry that seeks to capitalise from individuals who have developed Fragility. I will offer the remedy to this cultural problem, which is simply the road back to the strength, resilience, and personal responsibility that once defined the Character of the West.
