The Professional Victim

  I made the acquaintance of an individual some time back. We had friends in common. Now, while I would never really consider them a friend, I did look forward to their emails and messages. Their fb posts were enlightening. I did, in time, notice that they seemed to have a very specific point of view on something they felt very strongly about. They would became intense and angry at any perceived slight. As we went along they became much quicker to anger. I was puzzled. This was a very smart person. And while, if I squinted my eyes and tilted my head a certain way, I could almost see their point of view. Really it just seemed to be their hot button. This last week they posted something that offended them. They were livid. Indignant. And so, I made the mistake of trying to reason with them. I did not see what they did. I could not relate to their issue. In me expressing this, I was unintentionally becoming a lightening rod for their rage. Oh, the anger. The hate and foul language spilling out from this person. I was both shocked and curious. The thing about anger is, we usually pour it out on the wrong person. Rage against a false problem or slight. It is a way to relieve the tension that is felt, without actually working on ourselves. It is a trick. Their words quickly turned abusive. I tried to bring things back to center. To no avail. They were unwilling to either see things in another light or allow another viewpoint. If you did not see things as they did, you were ignorant, bordering on moronic and you were deserving of them unleashing their hate.

  This was jarring. It was unexpected. And it left me sad. I suggested if they really felt that they were somehow slighted that they do something about it. Write a letter. Start a petition. Post something on this business's fb page. This was ignored. I asked if there was indeed an issue, what they were saying, then they could use it to become part of the solution. NO. The abuse doubled. I finally withdraw. Sorry that this person that I learned from, had shared niceties with had turned so cruel. And it made me think. I realized that some people do not want a solution. They simply wish to be wronged, they were being slighted, picked on, abused. And if anyone challenged that, well they became the enemy. In short, I had an encounter with a professional victim. This person spent their life looking for ways that they were being wronged. Everything and anything could escalate their temper and tip them into a rage. Nothing could be done to bring them back from the brink. They actually wanted to be mad.

  While I was still puzzling this, something caught my attention. I was reading a list of traits the abused show. I was doing some research and I perused literature.  And there it was, something that I had seen before. Facts that I had heard over and over in counseling and read in books. But I had not been ready to take it in then. One of the signs of an abused person was the emotional over reacting to situations. I can not tell you how this hit me. I saw not only this person I had tried to offer comfort to, but also, at times myself.

Well, I had to examine this. This was something old and yet new for me. I am no bigger mystery to anyone as much as I am to myself. I hide things from me. I am not always honest with myself. I am a sneak. A sneaky, sneaking, sneaker and I sneak. I try to hold myself accountable. I had just been on this very topic a few days ago. And I had not seen it. I do over react at times. I throw something out there and a few minutes later I am over it. Astonished that I had gotten involved or upset in the first place. This was a revelation. And as soon as I learned it. Accepted that I did indeed do this, I realized I did not have to. I could get on top of this and move forward in a more reasonable way.

  I am no one's victim. Not even my own. I have given up contact with that friend of a friend. They are unwilling to move from the pedestal of blame that they have climbed to and I have no intention of nodding my head and wringing my hands in support of a false sense of self righteous indignation. It is neither healthy nor does it move my little boat forward. It was not my fault. Those things that were done to me. Things I could not control. Someone laid the label victim on me. However it is up to me to rip off that label and live my life outside of that stigma. I am not defined by an act perpetrate on me. I am my actions, my beliefs and my words.