Enabling Self-Imposed Oppression

In the oppressed/oppressor dynamic, anything is allowed to the oppressed in their fight against the oppressor - but what if people just imagine they are oppressed?

If the thought has ever crossed your mind that the crazy is strong with the people on the left, you and I are from the same tribe. We are witness to the deadly intersection of two groups - the people who are legitimately nuts and the people who will “white knight” for them for political advantage. There is likely no better current example than illegal aliens and the Democrat Party.

Commit cold blooded murder on the street? Democrats will go to bat for you if you kill an “oppressor”. A member of MS-13? They see the “spark of Divinity” in you and if you are deported, they will fly to El Salvador to have a drink with you and get judges to order that you should be brought back. Agitate the antisemites on campus? They will help you sue your oppressors for a cool $20 mil. Attack police or ICE? You are good - all cops are Nazi, fascist, racist bastards.

Nuts, right? Even to gain a political advantage, which in this case isn’t working, this seems pretty extreme.

So, I spent some time last night researching what philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre, Friedrich Nietzsche, Epictetus, Michel Foucault, Hannah Arendt, and contemporary thinkers such as Jonathan Haidt thought about how this mindset constrains freedom, responsibility, and authentic engagement with the world, while fostering a moral framework that excuses extreme behaviors – like cold blooded murder, riots, looting and flaunting of law - even by law enforcement and elected officials.

When individuals or groups convince themselves they are oppressed despite lacking objective evidence, they construct a narrative that profoundly limits their psychological, ethical, and social capacities. This self-anointed victimhood not only distorts reality but can also lead to the dangerous belief that even the most heinous actions - whether committed by themselves or by others claiming to act for their "good" - are justified.

Jean-Paul Sartre’s concept of mauvaise foi (bad faith) explains the psychological limits of self-deception. By convincing themselves they are oppressed, individuals or groups may engage in bad faith to avoid the anxiety of responsibility. This self-imposed victimhood allows them to relinquish agency, perceiving themselves as powerless while justifying harmful actions as responses to supposed injustice. For example, they might excuse violence or deceit, believing their "oppressed" status morally validates such acts. This mindset traps them in a cycle of inauthenticity, limiting their freedom to define themselves and act responsibly in the world.

Nietzsche’s critique of “slave morality” further highlights the ethical perils of this disposition. Nietzsche argues that those who define themselves through victimhood cultivate resentment, seeking moral superiority to justify their grievances. This can extend to endorsing heinous actions - such as aggression or manipulation - when framed as retribution or justice for their perceived oppression. When non-victims act on their behalf, claiming to serve their "good," the self-anointed victim may see these acts as legitimate, further entrenching their passivity. This limits their potential for self-overcoming, fostering weakness and stifling creative power in favor of destructive resentment.

Stoic philosopher Epictetus emphasized that suffering stems from judgments, not events: “It is not things themselves that disturb men, but their judgments about these things.” Falsely perceived oppression creates emotional turmoil in individuals and/or groups, which can fuel a belief that extreme measures are warranted to rectify their imagined plight. This misjudgment limits resilience, as they focus on external conditions rather than their internal responses. The conviction that their suffering justifies drastic actions - whether their own or others’ - further entrenches them in distress, undermining rational agency and inner peace.

Michel Foucault’s (of whom I am no fan) work on power and discourse suggests that narratives of oppression are shaped by societal discourses. Those who adopt a victim identity without evidence may misapply these scripts, distorting their understanding of power dynamics. This can lead them to condone or even champion harmful actions by allies who claim to act for their liberation, believing such acts are justified by their supposed oppression. This fixation on a constructed identity limits their ability to critically engage with actual power structures, reducing their capacity for effective social navigation.

Hannah Arendt’s philosophy in The Human Condition underscores the ethical and social consequences of such self-perception. Arendt values action and responsibility as central to human flourishing. Self-anointed victimhood can lead to withdrawal from active engagement, as individuals or groups blame external forces for their limitations. This passivity may also manifest as tacit approval of heinous acts committed in their name, as they shirk responsibility for the consequences. Such disengagement diminishes their ethical role in society and their contribution to the common good.

Contemporary thinkers like Jonathan Haidt and Bradley Campbell, in The Coddling of the American Mind, describe “victimhood culture” amplified by social media, where claiming oppression grants moral authority. This incentivizes exaggerated victim narratives, which can justify extreme actions, including those perpetrated by non-victims claiming to advance the "oppressed" group’s cause. This fosters division and strains social cohesion.

While self-imposed oppression imposes multifaceted limits: psychological distress, ethical passivity, and social polarization, it removes others. When their presumed victimhood justifies heinous actions - whether their own or others’ - individuals or groups trap themselves in a cycle of resentment and moral distortion.

It also allows groups that aren't subject to the self-impositions, they just don't give two fecal evacuations, to commit acts because they see the self-oppressors getting away with it.

All of this is the equivalent of a social, cultural and eventually, a civilizational, death spiral. It’s the kind of thing, that once started, is nearly impossible to stop without cracking some heads, I’m afraid.