Isn't it time for Americans to stop viewing themselves as either victims or 'survivors' of ordinary life?

I hear this continually--'I am a ________victim.' OR 'I am a survivor of __________.' (You fill in the blank). As long as a person looks at themselves as a 'victim' or even a former 'victim' then they WILL be a sad victim all of their lives. These things that happen in people's lives are normal events. Life isn't supposed to be all good and wonderful. What do you think?

Answers:
I think you have a very good point. People have too often the tendency to forget thast they alone can change their lives into something better.

Agreed.
Couldn't agree more. We have become a "I'm a victim" society. Its sad.
Americans think they r the core of the universe and and what they say is shud be listened to
they must knw that they r a collection of people from around the world and every one of them have a family here or there.
they shud stop complaining and look to other people real crises .
I totally agree. You never hear older generations speak of their hardships this way. Suck it up, pull yourself together and move on. (I'm being VERY general here)
Yes, but as long as they see themselves as victims, they don't have to accept responsibility for their actions. I truly think that is why fundamentalism is on the upswing in the States as well. They can blame everything on God, or atheists, instead oftheir own inaction. And I think that's why so many people were so hard hit by Katrina, they expected God to save them instead of doing something for themselves.
power of the mind is amazing. i have of problem of the so called almighty striking down the good ones.
I do understand your point. However, it is true I have survived car wrecks; tornado; earthquake; my first wife; and six days in a coma from encephalitis.

But, I feel tougher for such experiences, not weaker or somehow a victim who didn't die. Nothing frightens me any more, because nothing that can possibly happen can be much worse than what has already happened.

S**t happens. If a disaster does kill me, they will find both middle fingers firmly extended, indicating I did not die easily.

I really get torqued off when people blame George Bush because thousands of lazy and helpless people sat in NO expecting the government to come and take them away. I guarantee you if I had been there, I'd have taken a back pack with some food and water, and bleach to disinfect more water, and walked out of there. In two days, you could be way up on I-12, even on foot.

On CNN, they had a white woman, fairly young and not heavy, whining the first day after the disaster because the government wasn't bringing her water to drink. What a jerk, The reporter said it was too far to walk to get water from a distribution point but I noticed she did not say how far it was, which meant it really wasn't that far but the reporter wanted us to think the government was at fault for not having the capacity to take water to each and every survivor -- who had been told to get the H**l out in advance.
Well in the dictionary one of the defintions is "a person who continues to function or prosper in spite of opposition, hardship, or setbacks".
I slightly agree to what you say but on the other hand I don't. I think people who play victim roles all the time are sad. However what if someone is a victim of something but you don't agree that they are. Are they any less of victim if that's what they feel? If a female/male is raped or molested are they a victim? If they play the victim role does that make them any less of a person when they were victimized?
Survivor is different. If someone came up and told me "I'm a survivor of depression". I would be proud of them because it's something they accomplished.
Now the thing that does bother me is when survivor is attached with hero. Like little timmy fell down the well and he was such a hero for being rescued and being brave. I think hero gets over used way to much in the media.
what are you calling normal events? stuff like rape or incest or crap like that?

those things are traumatic events and in no way are "normal"

so what are you calling normal events that these people have survived?
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