Nation of Victims: Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Path Back to Excellence

Nation of Victims: Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Path Back to Excellence

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  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2022-09-13 02:19:38
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Vivek Ramaswamy
  • ISBN:1546002960
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

The New York Times bestselling author of Woke Inc。 makes the case that the essence of true American identity is to pursue excellence unapologetically and reject victimhood culture。

Hardship is now equated with victimhood。 Outward displays of vulnerability in defeat are celebrated over winning unabashedly。 The pursuit of excellence and exceptionalism are at the heart of American identity, and the disappearance of these ideals in our country leaves a deep moral and cultural vacuum in its wake。
 
But the solution isn’t to simply complain about it。 It’s to revive a new cultural movement in America that puts excellence first again。
 
Leaders have called Ramaswamy “the most compelling conservative voice in the country” and “one of the towering intellects in America,” and this book reveals why: he spares neither left nor right in this scathing indictment of the victimhood culture at the heart of America’s national decline。

Following the success of his instant bestseller Woke Inc。, Ramaswamy explains in his new book that we’re a nation of victims now。 It’s one of the few things we still have left in common—across black victims, white victims, liberal victims, and conservative victims。 Victims of each other, and ultimately, of ourselves。
 
This fearless, provocative book is for readers who dare to look in the mirror and question their most sacred assumptions about who we are and how we got here。 Intricately tracing history from the fall of Rome to the rise of America, weaving Western philosophy with Eastern theology in ways that moved Jefferson and Adams centuries ago, this book describes the rise and the fall of the American experiment itself—and hopefully its reincarnation。

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Reviews

Jeff

Stacey Abrams == Donald Trump。 And The Way Back Is To Ignore Both。 Ok, so the title here was a bit intentionally inflammatory - but Ramaswamy *does* essentially make this very point late in the book, pointing to how both Abrams and Trump see themselves as victims of election fraud rather than candidates who lost elections because more voters legitimately sided with their opponents。 But to get there, and to get from there to how we can truly come back, Ramaswamy dives through American history, le Stacey Abrams == Donald Trump。 And The Way Back Is To Ignore Both。 Ok, so the title here was a bit intentionally inflammatory - but Ramaswamy *does* essentially make this very point late in the book, pointing to how both Abrams and Trump see themselves as victims of election fraud rather than candidates who lost elections because more voters legitimately sided with their opponents。 But to get there, and to get from there to how we can truly come back, Ramaswamy dives through American history, legal theory, and even his Hindu religion to show how both progressives and conservatives have largely adopted a victimhood mentality。 Interestingly, he never once cites Ayn Rand's examinations of this same idea in Atlas Shrugged。 Overall an interesting book worthy of consideration, and with a fairly normal bibliography at about 21% of the overall text here。 Very much recommended。 。。。more

Dave

Reading Vivek Rama Swamy’s Nation Of Victims is a bit like taking an upper level course on Modern Society, tackling everything from philosophy to sociology to economics on the way。 He poses the question of whether we are a dying nation akin to the fall of the Roman Empire or whether we can experience a rebirth。 A large part of the demise of America, he argues, rests in the rise of victimhood over meritocracy。Ramaswamy begins with the underdog story, the Horatio Alger story of lifting one’s self Reading Vivek Rama Swamy’s Nation Of Victims is a bit like taking an upper level course on Modern Society, tackling everything from philosophy to sociology to economics on the way。 He poses the question of whether we are a dying nation akin to the fall of the Roman Empire or whether we can experience a rebirth。 A large part of the demise of America, he argues, rests in the rise of victimhood over meritocracy。Ramaswamy begins with the underdog story, the Horatio Alger story of lifting one’s self up by one’s bootstraps。 Being an underdog, he explains, is not about how much you win, but about how hard you are willing to work for it。 Underdogs always see themselves that way。 They are always the outsiders, not the incumbents。 Compare that he says to a victim’s story where a victim demands of those around them, not of themselves。 The problem for us as a nation now, he explains, is that we are a wealthy nation and easy times create weak men such that we are more worried about what words we use rather than on having enough to eat。The next part of the book delves into history, the story of the Civil War and General Longstreet。 But from history, we then leap into the philosophy of Hume and Kant。As to history, Ramaswamy is a bit uncomfortable with the business of tearing down statues。 History, he reminds us, is filled with nuanced men and women who struggled to do the right thing even if they often failed。 Dividing the nation into black and white, virtuous victims and evil oppressors, without shades of grey, we will blind ourselves to our past。After discussing history and philosophy, Ramaswamy turns to a discussion of constitutional jurisprudence, decrying the failure of the High Court to invigorate the privileges and immunities clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which could have illuminated rights and duties of citizens。 The Court instead went down the long rabbit hole of substantive due process and dividing people into groups deserving different levels of protection。Next, the book tackles Critical Race Theory, explaining its intellectual history and critiquing the main expository texts of that doctrine。 Personal anecdotes illuminate the explanations。After tracing victimhood through history, philosophy, judicial decisions, and intellectual theory, Ramaswamy argues that victimhood has been seized on by both the Left and The Right, using examples of two politicians who refused to concede election losses, Stacey Abrams and Donald Trump。Victimhood and viewing your own nation as being in the downswing is not becoming。 The next chapter is devoted to the fall of Empire and a history lesson in Rome and Carthage。Eventually we come full circle to his prescription that we view America not as a dying nation, but one searching for itself and waiting to be reborn。 Just shed these arguments and grievances of victimhood we are told 。。。more