How refreshing in our current culture to have a celebrity declare that he is not — repeat, NOT — a victim.
During a weekend comedy show with fellow comedian Kevin Hart, Rock talked about Will Smith’s infamous physical assault at this year’s Oscars.
“Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face,” he told the crowd and then referred to Will Smith as “Suge Smith,” an obvious reference to Suge Knight, a former record executive with a reputation for violence currently serving hard time for manslaughter.
Us magazine reports that later, while mocking people who always play the victim, Rock said…
“I’m not a victim, mother–ker,” before joking that he “shook that s–t off” and returned to work. “Yeah, that sh-t hurt, motherf–ker,” he continued. “But I shook that sh-t off and went to work the next day … I don’t go to the hospital for a papercut.”
In an era where starlets worth four million dollars receive sympathetic headlines over their money woes (and on the same day America is plunged into a recession), seeing a star like Rock refuse to play the victim is more than refreshing.
There are so many toxic left-wing trends today, especially grotesque sexual ones aimed at grooming little kids; it’s easy to forget just how dangerous it is to see victimization morphed into a virtue, into something worth showing off over. But that’s what’s happening today in spades.
We now live in a country where people brag about their supposed mental illnesses and wield their victimhood like it somehow wins the argument.
This is especially bad for those who do it, those who have been fooled into thinking this kind of behavior is healthy and productive. The truth, as any sane person knows, is that embracing this stuff makes you dysfunctional and unhappy. How are you ever going to grow a thick skin if you are being taught to never-ever-ever let anything go? Why would anyone seek to improve their “mental health” if advertising your mental health problems gives you some deranged form of social media clout and status?
In this case, Rock is the perfect role model. Nothing is healthier for the human condition than the ability to grow a thick skin and move on. Wallowing in your victimhood, in your “trauma,” is just another form of narcissism, of focusing on yourself; a way to feel superior to everyone else because a victim is by definition superior to their oppressors.
But that’s a terrible way to tread through life.
People are much happier when they move on, get over it, shake it off, and get over themselves.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.