The Victim of Conflict
Remember that annoying kid in class that used to tease other people and incite conflicts, then run straight for the teacher and claim to be the victim? Most of us have at one or several points in our lives met this type of person, that expresses his or her aggression, by intentionally annoying us in private, while putting the pity side on when in public, to appear as the victim of someone else's rage. Philosophers like Nietzsche described this behaviour as "passive-aggressive," meaning the person in question hover between playing the passive victim and the aggressive hunter.
Most people in modern society have become passive-aggressive by nature, without us barely noticing it. One reason to why this behaviour has become so prominent, is that we as individuals today feel very small and powerless. Our society serves us everything, from fast food to childcare centres. Nowadays we don't even have to live life, we can sit down and watch other people's lives on TV instead, which might be seem more exciting and entertaining, but robs us at the same time of our will power and passion to live. We lose control over ourselves and thus store a lot of anger inside. Anger that has to come out, one way or the other.
Even our societies at large have become fierce passive-aggressive animals. We feel hurt when people in the Middle East don't like our Democracy, so we decide to bomb and imperialize their land, until they decide to hit back - then suddenly we are the victim, promoting "freedom" and "peace," on a "war against terrorism." This goes on for a while until we spot Iran and figure they've got nuclear power and don't like the American support for Israel - what do we do? We announce a new war and pat ourselves on the back for taking the next step towards "world peace."
Passive-aggressive behaviour most commonly stems from personal insecurity. That kid in class that always wanted new conflicts, really wasn't feeling secure in himself, and therefore had to portray himself as a victim, so that other people would pay attention to him and dry his tears. These people are often dangerous, because their actions are rarely seen for what it is: a call for help. Many buy into the trick and figure the victim of his outbursts, really is the aggressor and therefore must be punished.
Our modern Democratic societies are facing a myriad of problems today: rampant ethnic conflicts, coming inflations, global environmental problems, and internal political disintegration - the list could be made long. The people in power sense they've created societies that are running amok, and the only way out is to act like all hurt animals do when they're pushed into a corner: kick backwards, scream, and attack anything and anyone in its way, that shows signs of being a threat to their miserable existence. And like all hurt animals, they will keep running into the wall until they bleed to death.
by Alex Birch
April 1, 2007
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