A wave of victimhood has succeeded the triumphant humanity of modernity, the Enlightenment’s promise of a world freed from fatalism and fanaticism. Paradoxically, in the once hedonistic West, trials and pains are now displayed as badges of honor, by rich and poor, men and women alike. This “claim to the status of a victim” simultaneously fuels the tendency towards resentment and revenge.

Even the privileged and the powerful want to belong to the “aristocracy of the margins,” to this new caste of victims, essentially replacing the truly unfortunate. The adoption of the role of pariah, the narcissism of the outcast, the competition among those who consider themselves the wronged of History, are experiencing days of glory. The message of our times is this: “I suffer, therefore I exist,” which means “we are all victims and we have the right to feel sorry for ourselves.”

Will the new generations—pampered, hypersensitive, and fearful—be able to confront the chaotic world that surrounds us and awaits them?