The Victim Cult

How the grievance culture hurts everyone and wrecks civilizations

The Victim Cult hit the top 100 Amazon list when the Canadian version was released

• 90% of reader reviews on Amazon Canada gave The Victim Cult a 5-star or 4-star rating

• When released in Canada, the Amazon Bestsellers Rank showed it hit:

  • #1 in Popular Culture (Books)

  • #1 in Political History & Theory (Kindle Store)

  • #1 in Pop Culture (Kindle Store)

A new reader review

“196 pages into this spectacular read and loving every page. A monumental accomplishment and very timely.” - Stephen Shawcross. See more here.

No one disputes the truth that some people are victims—of others, accidents, and life…

But we also all know someone who seems stuck. They make life worse because of an intense focus on the past. On a personal level, the chronic victim-thinker can be toxic. But what happens when victim narratives dominate entire societies?

The Victim Cult tackles this too-easy reflex to take offense and blame others, from college campuses to the heights of political power. It also infects citizens who see each other as victims or privileged but never as diverse individuals with choices.

Victim cults are not new. Some have deep roots and end in disaster. Many 19th-century Germans thought they were victims of the French, English, liberalism, and Jews. Adolf Hitler later exploited that victim narrative to turn the land of Bach and Beethoven into the nation known for Dachau. Yasser Arafat viewed Palestinians and himself only as victims. When offered a peace deal with Israel, he cratered it, preferring blame and terror over peace.

Moving beyond victimhood

The Victim Cult also details the more positive lessons from those who were harmed but yet succeeded: the example of early Asian immigrants 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.

“Belongs on your shelf next to Dalrymple and Jordan B. Peterson. The Victim Cult is genius. I consider it the perfect companion to Icarus Fallen---another work teeming with insight on the twisted psychology of post-modernism.” ★★★★★ Leia Ben on Amazon

The Victim Cult is available in the United States and internationally

The Victim Cult is available in Canada

Ask for The Victim Cult at your local bookstore. You can also order it autographed and direct. Print and e-book versions available from Chapters.Indigo and Amazon.ca.

Reviews

“This excellent book was eight years in the writing and it shows. But not because it is pedantic; on the contrary, Milke wears his scholarship lightly. His crisp, polished prose belies the exhaustive research that permits him to speak out so boldly and broadly on what is a sensitive, often culturally weaponized subject.” — Barbara Kay, National Post. Read the full review here.

“Excellent read, I learned a lot! The calibre of thought is at a lofty level with Prof. Jordan Peterson and legendary American Dr. Thomas Sowell.” — David Johnston

“There’s a lot to this complex but readable book. Milke’s background in political philosophy and real-world public policy allows him to weave together elements from the key disciplines to explain what we have come to think of as a singularly modern phenomenon – the victim cult – but which has deep roots in human development and has time and again proven toxic to societies ancient and modern….It’s a lot to chew on and Milke could easily have drowned in his own ambition, but as a writer he’s no slouch and manages to stick to the point and make his arguments convincingly in around 300 pages.” — Paul Stanway, C2C Journal, Read the full review here.

“Mark Milke's book, The Victim Cult, is a very impressive book that examines the pernicious effects of victimhood. When I first looked at the book, I was impressed by how well it was designed; when I first started reading the book, I was impressed by its clarity of thought and Milke’s empathy for a variety of groups. Milke provides real life examples of how victimhood can make both the left and right look backwards, instead of trying to work for a better future. I highly recommend this book, and it should be mandatory reading for all university students." - Fred Litwin, founder of the Free Thinking Film Society, and author of I Was a Teenage JFK Conspiracy Freak

“In reading this book, I saw what I had learned put in print for the first time: The false narratives or ideologies that convince people that they are doomed to fail and that someone else or something else is to blame.” — Ellis Ross, former elected chief councillor, Haisla First Nation (from the foreword)

“Your introduction made me want to keep reading. It also told me that you are sane, in that you know the real problem lies in our individual hearts. And your love for humanity shines through throughout the book.” — Tricia Radison

“The depth of your research is truly commendable." - Neil Carson

“A great read!” — Wesley Baird

“Fascinating! Thanks for doing the research!” — Bob Everett

“The Victim Cult is a brilliant book. Tracing a thousand years of how we take positions, and arriving in the present, to clearly show what has worked well. We need to be wary of people who ‘self-identify’ as victims. The Victim Cult will guide us past the victim vortex and allow us to wisely help others.” — Dr. Roger Watson

“Mark Milke's ‘The Victim Cult’ is a solid introduction to victim chic- and chic-anery. Using plenty of specific examples. It shows how the victimhood Olympics have been used to extract money, privilege and power from society at large. Milke unmasks these 'Olympics' by showing how virtually everyone is descended from historical victims and by showing the inherent injustice of collective guilt i.e. guilt by ethnic, cultural national or racial identity. He affirms the basic principle of justice that individuals are only responsible for what they do and not for what others do or did. He also points out the problems in trying to draw specific lines of responsibility and between the past and contemporary groups and/or individuals. How can we separate the innocent from the guilty in the supposedly offending group? He demonstrates how victim-hood chic undermines the well-being of society by trying to replace an unjust hierarchy from the past by creating a new unjust hierarchy of power and privilege by undermining basic principles of justice, i.e. individual responsibility and not collective guilt. This book is well-researched and rationally argued and undermines the emotion-based claims so common in post-colonial theory and identity politics.” Ian Kluge, from Amazon

“The style and structure are very accessible. Arguments are honestly and completely formed. Do not read this if you are comfortable feeling sorry for yourself. Go back to sleep.” - Philip Lusty

“A must read!” - Margaret Proud

“'A timely and scholarly book, The Victim Cult is a very important contribution to a debate all Western countries should be having and perhaps especially in Canada.” - Daniel Bellemare

“This is an amazing book!” -Ruth Irwin

“Required reading for anyone who wishes to further educate themselves regarding ‘collective thinking’ and the root causes of victim cultures.” - Mike Laturnus

“Insightful, honest, and well-researched work. A must read for anyone interested improving the world.” - Gerard Cheeseman

“I just finished your book and want to tell you  how much I enjoyed it and found it very worthwhile. I especially appreciated your thorough review of the origins and growth of anti-Semitism in Germany.”- Peter Best

“I’m about a third of the way through and it’s opened my eyes beyond my wildest thoughts. From what I have read so far, this could well be a set book for every Canadian of school going age should read.” - Basil Botha

“I never could figure out why Yasser Arafat was so intransigent , until I read your chapter. Very good insight into this man. I met a few Palestinians in Jordan in 1995 and I was impressed with their entrepreneurship. I definitely think with the right leader they could have built a prosperous country. I am very much enjoying your book.” - Jim Gehl