Quote:
|
Originally Posted by AlternateGray
... the world's grief comes from three kinds of "evil" men (or women):
1. The Religious Freak, ...
2. The Bad Man, ...
3. The Truly Bad Man: ... Hussein, Hitler, Buchanan, Milosevic...
Now, if you combine all three you get a ludicrous level of evil- as tw mentioned, the crusades, the inquisition, the later taliban, the near extermination of the Native Americans, etc.
|
Then clearly the American Indian was evil. He was godless. He would be seen naked or wearing only what is found on summer beaches today. How can you sit there and not call American Indians evil since clearly every white man in 1840s knew how evil the Indian was. At least, if using your definitions.
The lion is clearly evil because it kills other lions only for sex - the pride. How despicable. The lion is a godless creature - evil again. So what is the perspective? Once we take a logical perspective, is the lion so evil – or just natural?
By your definition (and using emotions of that time), clearly evil is everywhere even in creatures / people we no longer regard as evil. Is the Great White Shark evil? Having learned of perspective, then emotion (what is and is not evil) gets replaced by logic.
Clearly the Japanese are evil for killing whales. Does not matter what you say. Others say Japanese are clearly evil. And since Japanese are not Christian, then they must be doubly evil. Classic 'emotion replacing logic'. Mien Kopf promoted Hitler by clearly defining Jews as evil. No doubt because Mien Kopf ‘proved an association of Jews with vermin. Jews must be evil - or maybe Germans took an emotional perspective verses a logical one.
Evil only exists when one is emotional. You and I only exist because Kennedy tasked some of this nation's best minds to finally think logically rather than emotionally. He finally got them to stop seeing a Cuban Missile Crisis in terms of 'good and evil'. Had Kennedy not done so, then Americans would have been the evil ones for starting a war that could only go nuclear. Fortunately for us and all lurkers, Kennedy demanded (even from his own brother) conclusions based in logic. Asked them to remember Jupiter Cs and therefore who really was evil? Having learned other perspectives, therefore we all survived. Yes survived only because logic finally replaced the 'Gen Curtis LeMay attitude' of a world only in 'good and evil' terms.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban are only doing what mankind did normally only 400 years ago everywhere in North America. Were they evil? No. Their social structure (social standards - also called biases) were different. You tell me how the Taliban are any different today? Why are Taliban evil when the noble American Indian was not; both did/do same thing?
Need to inspire the 'cannon fodder'? Promote the myth called 'evil'. It works everytime. These are the people who cannot think logically - and therefore believe in evil.
Second point - why are you discussing what was common knowledge in 2003. Afghanistan back then was falling apart only because those who could have saved the country did not even perform promised reconstruction. Listen to interviews on the BBC. Just like in Vietnam, Afghani 'hearts and minds' are being lost just like in Vietnam. Therefore who really is evil? The Taliban? Or invaders who lie; make promises and don't keep those promises. Again emotion or logic; what is your perspective - and welcome right back to why the Vietnam war was lost to 'evil' Vietnamese.
"I know evil when I see it" is what we need from the minds of Cannon Fodder. Same mindset in leaders is dangerous. Which type would you aspire to become?