Underdogs in any situation feel they can affect their own destiny. They actively take responsibility for their actions and believe they have the power to change their tomorrows. Victims, on the other hand, see themselves as having no control; they are at the mercy of others. They look outside of themselves for help.
Underdog Solutions, or Not
The author explains that the conflict between Carthage and Rome tells us that wars are not necessarily won or lost with great generals or decisive battles. Carthage’s losses in the First Punic War were the result of being out-built by Rome. China has already out-built the United States. The United States, rather than being a victim, should take a page from Rome’s playbook when it faced Carthage as a seemingly unbeatable military power. The United States should avoid open conflict and wait out its opponent, all the while rebuilding its diminished industrial capabilities.At the beginning of Plato’s “Republic,” when Socrates speaks for Plato in the dialogue on the nature of justice, he was immediately met with a challenge from the sophist Thrasymachus, who claimed that there’s no point in wondering what justice is. Justice is just the rule of the stronger.
Today, Ramaswamy says that many who believe in critical race theory have concluded that Thrasymachus was right: What we call justice is nothing more than the rules of the privileged. There is a belief that the criminal justice system is biased against black people. This narrative of black victimhood is called “the New Jim Crow.” As the victimhood narrative becomes more accepted, it replaces the voices of black people themselves. Eventually, well-educated white people end up making policy decisions on behalf of “the victim” rather than consulting those affected.
Ramaswamy thinks that there should be more discussion about the meaning of citizenship. He feels that this idea should be approached with the same seriousness with which diversity is discussed. The author says that there was a chance to do this earlier in American history, right after the Civil War when the 14th Amendment was introduced.
Originalism, Resistance, and Greatness
Ramaswamy asserts that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s dogged originalism, President Ronald Reagan’s resistance to government regulation, and President Donald Trump’s insistence on American greatness are the answer.Politicians have a “bread and circus” mentality, which means to keep people happily diverted from real solutions. Instead of stressing positive ideas for the future, many politicians today hold on to the idea of victimhood. Ramaswamy wants politicians to look to the past to successfully govern this nation and find a way to extend past solutions into the present. He also points out that today no one is thinking of the long-term good of the nation. He argues that the politicians’ idea is that “the masses must be politicized before they can become of any use.”
Ramaswamy thinks that Americans consider skin color too much, when relating to each other, which he says encourages victimhood. He points out that this is unlike other cultures in history. The ancient Romans did not view Emperor Septimius Severus as black or brown. They listened to his speeches and considered him only as a Roman.
Victimhood affects the way Americans talk to each other and the things they say. They are afraid to openly express thoughts simply because someone else might be offended or complain. They run the risk of being “canceled.” This develops into the practice of not speaking about a growing category of issues, which is also called “censorship.”
Ramaswamy says that America’s real strength is the culture of freedom and individuality, which generates artistic and scientific innovation. What we ought to fear is not the decline of our empire but the decline of our nation. America is turning away from reaching its full potential by turning away from a culture of excellence.
Nations don’t die the way people do: They’re constantly reborn as something else. Americans have gone through rough times before. Today, Americans hurl competing tales of victimhood at each other, trying desperately to grab as much as they can before the nation falls apart, not caring that it is division that keeps us from moving forward.
Ramaswamy believes in the reincarnation of our nation. He doesn’t feel that Americans are ready to give up on the country. He says that Americans “are not ready to take their place at Rome’s side as an idea in the fabric of human thought.” He wants to see America the Underdog striving for excellence again.
