At some point in our lives, we will have to consider ourselves victims in a certain context - victims of an economic recession, victims of the flu season, or, God forbid, victims of attempted rape or murder. However, many people seem to think of themselves as victims, when they haven't actually been negatively affected in reality, in an effort to justify their cries, viewpoints, and beliefs. Therefore, has the phenomenon of self-victimization simply gone too far?

Playing the victim card is a fairly common form of outcry for our fellow millennials, used mainly when a crime has not even been committed against them, but rather when they strongly disagree with something that they believe "attacks" their views, along with themselves, as people. Here starts the "anti-free speech" movement that many have criticized all over the media, where college students attempt to obstruct guest speakers and school clubs that hold views which are on the opposite end of the political spectrum. Such demonstrations have largely been viewed as obstructions to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and have often sparked violent outbursts, such as those seen on college campuses like UC Berkeley.

The truth is, while one may feel victimized or singled out due to, for example, a recent executive ban on transgender people from serving in the U.S. Military, two wrongs simply do not ever make a right, so to produce violence or disallow people from speaking their minds on an issue is simply making the case of the "victim" worse. Peaceful protests are one thing, but to deny the rights of other people solely because your rights or the rights of someone else are being denied, is just creating more violations of people's rights, creating a cycle that does not actually get the issue fixed, or even sometimes recognized, due to the immaturity and outright hate that has sparked within the minds of young adults filled with fervor, trying to stand up for something that they believe in. However, they may be misled or biased about these issues, but in return, they simply can't face the horrible reality that they might be wrong, and called out for it like any adult would be. In short, millennials have some serious growing up to do, and it's best they do it as soon as possible, before the working world consumes their livelihoods and puts them on the spot for being late, not putting in enough effort, or just being flat-out wrong.