Getting past the past: why it matters
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You’re more than what happened to you or your clan
No one disputes that some people are victims—of others, accidents, and life. But we also all know someone who thinks like a victim.
This keynote speech is about such people—who play the victim card—except multiplied by millions, where people and societies become stuck blaming others.
Drawn from my new book, this keynote examines “mild” claims to victimhood but also the danger in victim narratives that go viral and harm entire societies. Such victim cults have deeper roots and, if not exposed early, end in tragedy. Examples include:
Many nineteenth-century Germans who thought they were victims of the French, English, liberalism, and Jews. Adolf Hitler later exploited that victim narrative to turn the land of Bach into the nation known for Dachau.
In Rwanda, for three decades, Hutu leaders relentlessly blamed the tiny Tutsi minority for any past and present inequalities. That victim cult ended with the state-initiated murder of one million Rwandans, mostly Tutsi.
The late Palestinian Authority and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat, who spent a lifetime viewing Palestinians and himself only as victims. Thus, when offered a peace deal with Israel, Arafat instead cratered it. Arafat ended his life as the Peter Pan of international politics, never growing into a responsible statesman.
Moving beyond victim thinking
This keynote also details the more positive lessons from those who were harmed but yet succeeded:
East Asian immigrants to the United States who courageously dealt with injustices and trumped prejudice, but also aimed at integration, education, and entrepreneurship—choices that built a better civilization with opportunities for all.
I also detail how my grandparents, when young, endured two world wars, the loss of family, and in one instance were forced to Siberia (and back to central Europe). They were yet able to avoid the siren song of victim thinking. It turned out, positively, that their choices were more definitive for their lives in Canada than the early tough tragedies they endured but which they both ultimately, triumphed over.
Selected reviews
“I was struck in your talk with your empathy for a variety of ethnic groups, and aboriginals. There's no harshness in your writing (and your talk); you focus rightly on the future and the best way to move forward.” - Fred Litwin, founder of the Free Thinking Film Society, and author of I Was a Teenage JFK Conspiracy Freak
“We had a great meeting. You had our attention from minute one.” - Janet Balfour, Downtown Rotary Club of Calgary
“Mark Milke is a terrific keynote speaker. He speaks with great insight, engagement, and humour. He provides a compelling narrative while imparting an appropriate amount of information for the audience and venue. During the event I organized, I admired his ability not to skip a beat while dodging food servers, and in some cases directing them to the right guest! The audience had a great night!” - John von Heyking, Acting Chairperson, Department of Political Science, University of Lethbridge
“You gave a great presentation. The stories of people overcoming real, personal hardships and refusing to be victims were immensely inspiring.” - Brad Hayes, president, Petrel Robertson