The following is a condensed version of "Pathologies of Victimhood" by Richard Gunderman, published at Law & Liberty.
In 1973, Sacheen Littlefeather appeared in full Native American garb at the 45th Academy Awards ceremony to decline the Best Actor Oscar on behalf of Marlon Brando. Brando, she said, had boycotted the event to protest Hollywood’s portrayals of Native Americans. In the decades after the ceremony, Littlefeather continued to work as an actress, model, and activist, producing films about Native American life that eventually prompted the Academy to issue a statement of apology at a 2022 event entitled, “An Evening with Sacheen Littlefeather.”
There was just one problem: according to her sisters, Littlefeather, whose birth name was Marie Louise Cruz, was not Native American. She had fabricated her story of Native American ancestry, perhaps to find work. Littlefeather was a victim not by fate but choice.
Everyone has experienced genuine victimization at some point in their lives, and victimhood transcends political boundaries. A history of victimization, perceived or actual, is often treated as a credential that lends credence and moral authority to a particular person, group, or point of view. Members of minority groups, the poor, and the voiceless often lay a claim to it, but so too do members of various majorities, high-wealth groups, and prominent figures in our society.
