The Challenge of Obivictimization

By Dr jalarth Uche Opara

Obivictimization is a construct born out of poetic licence — a way of describing the strange experience of attracting criticism not because of wrongdoing, but because of perceived goodness.

It happens when a person’s lifestyle rises to a certain moral visibility, creating an almost permanent spotlight on their actions.

In such moments, goodness becomes both a virtue and a burden. The person who is known for patience is expected never to lose patience. The person admired for kindness is expected never to disappoint. The person seen as upright is sometimes denied the ordinary human space to struggle, make mistakes, or simply be imperfect.

Obivictimization places someone on a higher moral platform, but the danger is that society may turn that platform into a prison.

People begin to create an image of perfection around a human being who was only trying to live with integrity.
Yet, goodness should not be mistaken for sinlessness. A person can be admirable without being flawless.

They can have weaknesses without losing their worth. They can overlook the faults of others without becoming a judge of everyone’s actions.

The challenge of Obivictimization is that society often celebrates good character but struggles to accept the humanity behind it. The light that reveals virtue can sometimes also expose a person to unfair expectations.

True goodness is not the absence of imperfections; it is the continuous choice to pursue what is right despite them.

Peter Obi has been a perfect example of a victim of Obivictimization. The natural mistakes people make without getting a backlash, Peter Obi would be roasted if he does it or just mute it. They make him look like a God with no weakness. Peter is human with the tendency to falter and slip, but for political image smearing ,his little flaws get traction and undue criticisms, even when the rot of others remain unspoken.

Jarlath Opara
jarlathuche@gmail.com