victim = 'feckless irresponsible individual'

[Jonathan Lighter]

Cf. the recent disdainful sense of "needy," i.e., "needing or demanding
attention from another person."

JL

On Wed, Sep 19, 2012 at 8:22 AM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      victim = 'feckless irresponsible individual'
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Remember how "hero" is expanding to include a kind of victim?
>
> For the past 24 hours I've heard and read numerous comments to the effect
> that Mitt Romney "considers 47% of voters to be victims."
>
> But he doesn't. He said they think of *themselves* as victims. Because Mitt
> Romney still seems to know what "victim" means  .
>
> Of course, most people want to help victims, but that's not the point. The
> point is that Romney didn't say that putative people who believe the
> government owes them "medical care, food, housing, you name it" are, in
> *his* opinion, "victims."
>
> But that's how the press, pundits, and public are telling it, even when
> they go on to clarify the details.  GOP as well as Dem pundits.  At some
> level of their consciousness a "victim" is a kind of "loser."
>
> Nowadays it shows weak character to be a "victim."
>
> Instead of a "survivor."
>
> JL
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
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--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org