A Nation of Victims: The Decay of the American Character [Paperback]

Charles J. Sykes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 1993

One of the most talked-about books in years, A Nation of Victims established Charles Sykes as a persuasive, witty, and controversial commentator on American life and society. The plaint of the victim-- It's not my fault-- has become the loudest and most influential voice in America, an instrument of personal and lasting political change.

* Fired for consistently showing up late for work, a former school district employee sues, claiming he is a victim of "chronic lateness syndrome."

* Videotaped puffing on a pipe filled with crack cocaine, Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry claims he is a victim of racism.

* In 1960, fewer than 100,000 lawsuits were filed in federal courts; in 1990, more than 250,000 were filed.

In this incisive, pugnacious, frequently hilarious book, Charles Sykes examines the erosion of our society and offers hope in the prospect of a culture of renewed character.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a trenchant and tonic analysis of America's loss of backbone, the author of The Hollow Men alleges that we have become a nation of self-proclaimed victims. "I am not responsible; it's not my fault" is the common refrain linking compulsive gamblers, co-dependents in dysfunctional relationships, obese people "oppressed" by narrow restaurant seats and others who claim victim status, Sykes charges. He excoriates the psychiatric profession for continually inventing new disease categories and lashes our "therapeutic culture," which turns everyday difficulties into certified psychological problems. He stretches his argument too thin, however, when he attacks '60s activism, and "victimist explanations" of inner-city poverty and youth crime that, in his view, have distorted our criminal justice system, schools and urban policy. Even here, though, he scores points, calling upon Americans to dismantle the culture of victimization by recognizing personal responsibility and refusing to reflexively blame others. His sometimes shrill critique of sensitivity workshops, Afrocentric scholars and minorities "embracing their victim status" will make this book controversial.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Here is yet another manifestation of the intellectual backlash against the diagnosing of every bad personal habit as an illness and the myriad self-help groups modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) that have arisen from this phenomenon. (See Wendy Kaminer's I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional , LJ 6/1/92.) Sykes ( ProfScam , Regnery Gateway, 1988) argues, in a journalistic, rambling, and superficial style, that we have allowed psychotherapy to run amok and now routinely accept the illness excuse in cases of public misconduct or personal sloth. Murder, for example, is variously attributed to fetal alcohol syndrome or junk food diets. This perception of ourselves as a nation of victims represents nothing less than the decay of the American character. Sykes calls for a "moratorium on blame" and a return to the acceptance of personal responsibility for one's actions along with stiff penalties for criminal behavior. An optional purchase for academic and public libraries. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/92.
- Jeffrey R. Herold, Bucyrus P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (August 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312098820
• ISBN-13: 978-0312098827
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #132,657 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Charles J. Sykes is senior fellow at the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute and a talk show host at WTMJ radio in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has written forThe New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today and is the author of six previous books: A Nation of Victims, Dumbing Down Our Kids, Profscam, The Hollow Men, The End of Privacy, and 50 Rules Kids Won't Learn in School.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Whining Revolution, February 12, 2001

By 

Steven Fantina (Phillipsburg, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Nation of Victims: The Decay of the American Character (Paperback)

In an era where politically correct shibboleth dogmatically trumps common sense, Charles Sykes volume is a breadth of fresh air. His well-known but rarely spoken thesis is that a shrill cry of victimization has obliterated personal responsibility and this degrading mantra has developed into a fast growing and far-reaching industry.

Unlike other books that limit their scope, Sykes issues a broadside against the entire victimization cult. Harebrained lawsuits, expansive therapeutic whims, diversity nonsense, and sensitivity fads are all targets of his animadversion, and he repeatedly hits bull's eyes.

Of the diversity divisiveness, Sykes shows how a silly trend has grown into a suffocating mania. He points out how the craze has stripped Americans of their uniqueness and put them into classifications pitted against each other. Each division must fight to prove how it has been hurt worse than the others have. Women wounded by sexism: blacks blocked by racism: homosexuals hampered by homophophia. And of course a gay black woman would have three strikes in her favor-four if she can claim some real or imagined handicap! While many corporations are actively engaged in the separatist dross, diversity rituals have reached epidemic levels on college campuses. Sykes sites The University of Arizona where "individual style" constitutes minority status and all the special accommodations it affords. The school assures this measure is necessary to prevent discrimination against "nerds and people who dress differently."

Many of his examples would be hilarious were it not for the tragedy of their reality. As an avatar of this absurdity, the author describes a woman in Miami whose "illness"--bigotry made it impossible for her to work with black people. Worker's Compensation paid her $ 40,000 to compensate her disability. Let's hope that the Ku Klux Klan is not using this mockery as impetus to plan a class action lawsuit comparable to the smokers' frivolity against tobacco companies.

One of the saddest reminders of reality is the book's reference to a suggestion made in 1944 "that traditional American values were the greatest foes of racism because they emphasized equality and liberty---values inherently in contradiction to policies of segregation and exclusion." Wouldn't it be wonderful to hear someone bravely articulate such truthfulness today? Unfortunately the mere implication of such veracity would earn the speaker widespread scorn.

Sykes cleverly uses a great deal of humor in presenting this fabricated crisis. At times, it is essential to laugh at such institutionalized foolishness, but as the book thoroughly substantiates the damage of a rampant victimization mindset is massive. Unless an attitude of self-control and personal responsibility comes back in style, America will become a "true victim" of an arguably well-intentioned but deadly dissent into political correctness

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT ANALYSIS OF THE MODERN AMERICAN PSYCHE, August 18, 2006

By 

Stephen Scott (Tulsa, OK United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Nation of Victims: The Decay of the American Character (Paperback)

I came across this book six years ago, and I still rank it in the top three books I hve read in the last ten years.
Charles Sykes carefully analyzes the modern culture of victimhood and how it has undermined personal responsibility, the work ethic, and true victims of circumstances beyond their control.
He carefully analyzes how the introduction of psychotherapy, along with the proliferation of lawyers and lawsuits has rendered America into a whining nation instead of one that works hard for success.
Sykes also chronicles how the protestant work ethic at one time considered hardship and troubles as something to deal with. Such troubles make people stronger and more resilient.
He does this by not only looking at history, but also at contemporary society. At full speed, this victim mentality now lets the human spirit be beaten by a ubiquitous society that takes away responsibility.
Ultimately, this trivializes life. Even worse, we lose the true victims who are truly abused. As Sykes said, "in a society where everyone is a victim, no one is a victim."

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sykes articulate what we all feel, January 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Nation of Victims: The Decay of the American Character (Paperback)

Charles Sykes presents and exhaustive articulation of what is bothering many rational Americans, the victim mentality that is permeating our nation. He is the voice of all of us who work hard, try our best but do not try to blame anyone else for our shortcomings. This book encapsulates what is wrong today with our nation.