What Constitutes Evil?
A frequent commenter notes that he believes Trump is evil, and that his supporters are as well. Here’s a brief conversation on the subject:
Craig: I wouldn’t say they’re evil, any more than I would say that about the Germans of the 1930s. I would say that they are desperate, angry, ignorant and gullible, and in possession of a shaky moral compass.
I would describe the rich Trump supporters as “amoral,” not evil. They don’t consciously want to inflict harm on anyone; they’re just indifferent to others’ suffering.
Commenter: The Germans really were desperate. They really had real problems, and they had a combination of poor education and poor access to information that really served to limit their comprehension. I have more sympathy for them getting sucked in. Modern Americans made a choice to reject fact and embrace idiocy.
Craig: You have a point there, though I would certainly say that it’s a difference in degree and not kind. Wouldn’t you agree?
Here’s something else to consider. Ultraconservatives have their brains wired differently than you and I do. You may have seen studies that show that the chemical firings in the brains of the self-described far right are far more violently reactive than ours to stimuli that could even vaguely be construed as dangerous.
My theory is that this results in things like xenophobia (people outside my own family represent a danger), extreme fiscal austerity (we have no obligation to provide a safety net for people who can’t make it on their own), Trumpcare (it’s OK if poor people die if saving them hurts my financial situation), etc.
Of course, if you’re going to say that, you’re essentially saying that none of us has free will. If our actions are a function of the way our brains are wired, then, at a certain level, we can’t be held responsible for our actions.
Craig,
Brains wired differently ? Lacking moral compass ? What “studies” ?
Comparing US conservatives, the administration and all those 62 million voters as morally abhorrent simply because they don’t agree with your political agenda or social ideology is pretty outrageous even for someone despairing at witnessing the US abandon Obama’s legacy.
Before using the analogy of 30’s Germany, it might serve you well to ponder the full name of the NAZI party, the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. Note the term, “socialist” ?
As for your “studies”, it’s hard to believe even a tiny percent of the world’s, or even US, richest people volunteered to have their brains examined !
Isn’t it just more likely that unlike most of the left, conservatives are aware that simply spend lots of other peoples money on self-indulgent useless policies, doesn’t help the economy or anyone except bureaucrats.
” Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery” [ Winston Churchill ]
Or
“The trouble with socialism is sooner or later, you run out of other peoples money” [ Margaret Thatcher]
” If you’re not a socialist at 20 you have no heart, but if you’re not a conservative at 30, you have no brain”.[Winston Churchill]
What’s fascinating is the support among the millennial generation for Socialist/leftist candidates. Only a small percentage can even define the principles of socialism.
Perhaps the reason is millennials associate socialism with Scandinavia, not the old Soviet Union of previous generations.
Modern “socialism” today appears to be a gentler, kinder version. For instance, countries like Denmark, Sweden, and Norway offer generous social safety nets with much higher taxes.
These countries actually are not socialist, but “socialistic.” To afford massive social welfare spending, these countries adopted free-market economic measures in the 1990s. They sold off state-owned companies, eased restrictions on business start-ups, reduced barriers to trade and business regulation, and introduced more competition into health care and public services.
In fact, these nations now outrank the United States on business freedom, investment freedom, and property rights.
Yet despite their economic success being the result of market reforms and abandoning basic socialist principles, the young still believe in the idealistic propaganda, but not the substance.
It’s hard for the young to realize that the only way the economic policies of Democratic soft socialism are sustainable, is by creating a ever increasing mountain of debt, and diverting attention away from basic economic sustainability, with the distraction of social welfare.
More social workers to help people adjust to unemployment, instead of increasing employment.
There’s a ton of material on the differences in brain structure and activities of liberals vs. conservatives. http://www.salon.com/2016/06/06/study_liberals_and_conservatives_have_different_brain_structures_partner/
Craig,
Oh c’mon Craig, you’re smarter than buying into the psuedo-pop science of Gail Saltz and her dogs eat meat, cats eat meat, therefor cats are dogs, type of thinking !
People’s philosophies, and political beliefs are based on many things, family, life experiences, circumstance, observation, education and reasoning, not brain chemistry or bumps on their head !
Maybe you’ve become too immersed in Californian alternate culture, next thing you’ll be measuring the effectiveness of your Rolfing therapy by re-tuning your crystals 🙂
I’ve heard and read lots on this; it sounds pretty compelling to me, though I’m anything but an expert on the subject.