The Minority "Victim" -- Mimetic Theory and Literary Study

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Date Posted: 20:11:25 01/21/08 Mon
Author: Caitlin
Subject: The Minority "Victim"

Question 10 in the Foreword to "I See Satan Fall Like Lightning" struck me. "What is the basis of saying that the concern for victims is the new absolute power?" (xx). While reading this answer to this question a few sentences really stuck out to me, the most blatant being, "Both political correctness and victimism stem from an authentic reality from the standpoint of the Christian faith. That reality is God's revelation through Jesus Christ of the victim mechanism and the way into God's new community of love and nonviolence. But ... Satan - the ancient and tremendous power of the victim mechanism that expels violence through violence - is able to disguise himself and POSE EVEN AS CONCERN FOR VICTIMS" (xxiii).

Looking at the way in which political correctness and the minority "victimage" commonly seen in everyday society, this passage struck a chord in me. To me, "PC" behavior might have begun as something good, something to halt the seemingly inevitable scapegoat mechanism, but it has since become something warped and twisted. The secular culture has taken a Christian viewpoint and tweaked it in such a way that what was supposed to curb dissension and exclusion, now causes it. "Political Correctness", and being duly conscious of its use, now merely brings to attention the vast differences between us and gives rise to more conflict and resentment as many people have to change their lifestyle and/or phraseology in order to suit others.

Could this be a warped version of mimesis? Mimesis under outside pressure? Where does that fit into place?

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Replies:

Re: The Minority "Victim" -- Katelyn R, 20:25:43 01/22/08 Tue
Re: The Minority "Victim" -- Kiernan, 07:11:52 01/23/08 Wed