Reply #9: Robespierre and Stalin come to mind. Even Usama bin Laden. [View All]

[jobycom]

People who believe they are sacrificing themselves to create a better world, whether the world wants it or not. Some altruists become sociopathic when they reach the conclusion that there are dangerous, inhuman enemies standing between the present chaos and the future Utopia they envision. It's a small step to say "Those standing in my way are evil, and should be destroyed."

To me, true evil for the sake of evil rarely, if ever, exists. The most powerful evil we face in the real world are people who believe they are doing good. Bush. Hitler. Reagan. Usama. Even us, if we aren't careful. Frankly, that's one reason I hate these dehumanizing nicknames people invent around here, like Chimpanator or Sheeple or Repukes. It's just another step towards declaring the enemy non-human, and thus clearing the way for their extermination. Hopefully not literal extermination, but that has happened.

Geeze, I ramble too much. Sorry to bother everyone. I'll stop now. :)