This episode was inspired by a post I saw recently, in which a well-known author discussed the problem with people who claimed to be victims. Often when I see a potentially controversial post, I'll head to the comment section and be blown away by the heated exchanges between people on opposite sides of the issue.
The polarising nature of complicated and deeply nuanced issues blows me away and frustrates me to no end. We seek to judge before we understand and I discuss some adaptive reasons for this.
I also discuss the key differences between authentic vulnerability and this 'victim mentality' we see popping up and try to help those who don't understand the complexities of mental illness find empathy for those who struggle, whilst simultaneously emploring anyone who faces the challenges of mental illness take responsibility for working on their issues.
I also dare to offer some of my own theories around why society is becoming so fractured and polarised and hope in doing that we can become more aware of how this division affects our own thoughts and feelings, especially when we feel unnecessarily threatened.