The dangers and insidious root of self-deprecation

I see it all the time. People make insult or make fun of themselves. It's a defense-mechanism in many cases. For example, ReviewTechUSA calls himself fat in an attempt to minimize comments about his body-fat. The philosophy is this: if you demean yourself, you are mentally preparing yourself for when others do the same, so it feels less shocking and hurtful. This is a decent survival-strategy, but ultimately, it is not constructive, and doesn't help yourself or others around you.

If you are able and willing to insult yourself, how willing and able are you to insult others? This is the insidious root of self-deprecation. Self-deprecation comes from a dark and lonely place of self-hate, and if someone can't love himself or herself, he or she is much less likely to be able to love someone else.

When self-deprecation becomes normalized, it becomes open season for hatred. It starts off innocently enough with jokes, but jokes eventually become stereotypes, and stereotypes eventually become beliefs, and then various isms proliferate (racism, sexism, etc.).

Don't fall into the trap. It might be funny to others if you make fun of yourself, and you may be using it as a survival-tool to protect your fragile ego, but stop relying on it. If you can't imagine loving yourself, think about someone or something else you love and imagine how you could hone that energy back into yourself.

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