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I Suffer Therefore I Am
Portrait of the Victim as Hero
Brief Description
In the West today, suffering has become a new sacred cow. Once a common feature of the human condition, it is now a special trait you can use to impress your contemporaries. It provides you with a borrowed identity, transforming you into an exceptional being who...
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Description
In the West today, suffering has become a new sacred cow. Once a common feature of the human condition, it is now a special trait you can use to impress your contemporaries. It provides you with a borrowed identity, transforming you into an exceptional being who can show off on the public stage at little cost. Everyone flaunts their certificate of affliction, positioning themselves above their peers. Even those who are well-off and powerful seek to find a place in the aristocracy of the margins, creating new castes of the dispossessed at the expense of the truly unfortunate.
Infused with bitterness, this cult of the victim glorifies the martyr figure and feeds into the passions of revenge and resentment. This is the message of our age: we are all victims and entitled to feel sorry for ourselves.
The submissive humanity of Christianity and the arrogant humanity of modernity have now been replaced by a victimized humanity allergic to distress. Pampered, coddled, raised in fear and sensitivity, how will younger generations be able to confront the chaotic world that awaits them, marked by war, violence, terrorism and climate chaos? Who will teach them the courage to endure, to face setbacks head-on, without faltering in the face of misfortune?
I Suffer Therefore I Am explores these themes, challenging the contemporary view of suffering and victimhood in the modern world.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781509567164
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 12 September 2025
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Polity Press
Contributors:
- Translated by Stephen Muecke
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 31.0mm
Width: 140.0mm
Height: 216.0mm
Weight: 454g
Pages: 272
About the Author
Pascal BrucknerΒ is the bestselling author of many books includingΒ The Tyranny of Guilt,Β Perpetual EuphoriaΒ andΒ The Fanaticism of the Apocalyse.
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