The Irresistible Lure of Victimhood

All organisms exist in a state of tension with their external environment. For example, a fish that lives a thousand meters below the surface of the ocean balances the external pressure of the water against the internal pressure of its own bodily fluids. When such a fish is transported to the surface, the external pressure no longer balances out the internal pressure and so the fish explodes.

Our immune systems used to be balanced against all the external insults our bodies experienced, such as bacteria and viruses and regular dirt and saliva and a wide variety of…