Volume 3, Number 3
March, 1998
by David Mandell
Do you want to earn fame and fortune in America today? It's
easier than you think. All you need to do is become a professional
victim. Victims are everywhere.
From the pregnant actress Tylo Hunter, to unemployed former Arkansas
state employee Paula Jones and injured golfer Casey Martin, victims are
our latest growth industry.
Despite its recent prominence, victimhood goes back a generation.
Its founding father was Richard Nixon. Although not known as a cultural
leader, Nixon became the first celebrity victim when he lost an election
for governor of California back in 1962. Rather than graciously
congratulating the winner, Mr. Nixon blamed the press and said they
wouldn't have Nixon around to kick anymore. Bathed in victimhood, Nixon
spent the next six years presenting himself as a victim and was elected
President in 1968.
In the seventies victimhood took a great leap forward. Courts
began awarding huge judgments to anyone who could convince a jury that he
or she was a victim.The Supreme Court of California ruled that anyone who
saw an accident was a victim and entitled to money. You didn't even need
to be hurt to recover. Do you have emotional stress? Answer yes and you
are a victim. Residents who lived near a train derailment became victims
even if they did not inhale anything toxic. Just thinking about it was
enough.
By the nineties a new type of victim emerged. We now have the
career victim. Take Paula Jones for example. No one other than Jones and
Bill Clinton knows for sure what happened in that Little Rock hotel room.
If the accusations are true, Jones had an unpleasant and disgusting
encounter with a serial groper. However for the last five years, Jones
has made a career out of her victimhood. From talk show, to news
conference, to deposition, Jones has been everywhere. Her original team
of lawyers withdrew when their client rejected their advice to take the
money and move on. Victimhood is just too intoxicating to let go.
Jones is small change compared to the professional victims of
Hollywood, sports, and government. The latest Hollywood victim is soap
opera actress Tylo Hunter. When the actress became pregnant, and was
denied a role as a sultry vixen, she sued the producers. Hunter donned
the mantle of victimhood, claiming that regardless of her appearance, she
had a right to the part. A jury bought her counsels' argument, awarding
her millions. Perhaps actors who resemble Newman on Seinfeld will sue
when they are passed over for Brad Pitt at the next audition.
Sports has two prominent victims these days. The first, Casey Martin,
is a talented golfer with a foot disorder that impedes his walking.
Martin claimed victimhood when he demanded to use a golf cart instead
of walking the course. While the other golfers trudge through eighteen
holes in the sun, he can drive from hole to hole. Unless the NBA
lowers the rim next season it can expect to be sued by slow guys who
can't jump.
The NBA has its own professional victim now, Latrell Sprewell.
Suspended after choking his coach, Sprewell is a victim today. The
millionaire basketball player was not given proper treatment at practice
by his coach. When his arbitration concludes we can expect a big lawsuit
by the misunderstood ball player.
We now even have the criminal as victim. When the chief judge of
New York's highest court, Sol Wachtler, was convicted for threatening his
mistress, he pronounced himself a victim and went on a book tour after
his release from prison. The judge was, of course, a mere victim of
mental disorders, never properly understood by his doctors.
Victimhood is becoming the national pastime. If the latest
accusations against him are proven, expect to see President Clinton join
the victims' parade. We'll hear that he is a victim of poor impulse
control syndrome, unable to control himself. Psychologists will appear on
Oprah and Larry King to explain the newly discovered disorder. Welcome to
the neighborhood, Mr. President.
David Mandell is a practicing attorney in Connecticut.