"Abandon all hope, ye who enter..." -Welcome sign above the City of Dis. "Kaos is my son."- Ravager

A small event triggered this brief idea of victimhood. I woke up in my hammock at 11 (as is my custom now), got breakfast of mac/cheese and was on my way out of the house. Then I saw my floppy disk case, the one I bought a week ago from Wal-Mart for $3.59, and it was broken. I put it next to my wallet on the key rack and while none of the floppies are ruined, the case exterior is nowhere to be found.

Using my junior sleuth abilities from Plato, I deduced that someone knocked it off the key rack, saw it was broken, put what was left of the casing upright in its exact spot while disposing of the shattered front. Maybe they didn't want to wake me or just didn't want to fess up.

I can rule out the cat, since he can't reach that high and isn't fat enough to make stuff drop by running into walls (I know a cat who probably could, her name is "Blobby"). Perhaps these are paranoid delusions (everyone has their fair share), but using cynicism and knowledge of my roommates, I'm fairly certain this is how things happened.

So, am I a victim? What constitutes a victim? Certainly, knowledge of the crime can be delayed. That's what happens to people who get their identity stolen and their credit rating plummets. Also, damage to property is also a consideration.

Of course, I'll be told that "You shouldn't have put it there in the first place." Being a victim also includes accusations that it their fault- "The way she dressed, she was asking for it" is a common accusation of rape victims. Under these criteria, I believe I qualify for the dubious moniker of victim in this case.

Yet, how often do we victimize others and not know it? I indeed broke one of my roommates squigeez last month and I forgot to tell him. He asked me what happened and I told him I'd buy him a new one. This won't happen for my case unless whoever broke it and swaps me cases (and paying 3.59 for the 10 multicolored disks for themself).

Which brings to mind another thing; I'm certainly glad I can complain about this. At least I don't have to have trials by fire or water- these invariably led to death by hanging or burned at the stake. Certainly the days of trial by combat are over. For this, I'm thankful.

I also don't mind my case being broken, but I'll still find the culprit and ask why I wasn't told.