4 ms·

But is that really as hypocritical as you seem to suggest? After all we are, for lack of a better phrase, the good guys. It's not unprincipled to give the good

But is that really as hypocritical as you seem to suggest? After all we are, for lack of a better phrase, the good guys. It's not unprincipled to give the good guys more benefit of the doubt.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
kenmicklas 8y ago
You mean cause everyone thinks they're the good guys right? Cause the US is definitely not the good guys.
- 628C6l0 8y ago
  Are you kidding me? I can't fathom how your last sentence could even conceivably be true.
  - owenmarshall 8y ago
    Ask an Iraqi if we are the good guys. Or an Afghan. Or a Salvadoran, Grenadian, Cambodian,...
    - 628C6l0 8y ago
      I don't see how that's relevant. The mere fact that some people deny that 911 happened doesn't mean 911 didn't happen.
- wavefunction 8y ago
  There are no good guys.
  - GW150914 8y ago
    There are no good guys. And yet, there are bad guys. Churchill was a bastard, and no kind of “good guy” yet Hitler and the Nazis were the bad guys. C‘est la vie. Stalin was one of the bad guys, and so was Slobodan Milosovic, and so is Dick Cheney, Tony Blair, Pol Pot, etc. Good guy is a tough category to fill, but history is full of inexcusable monsters and we should be careful with our moral relativism.
    - eloff 8y ago
      Dick Cheney and Tony Blair don't seem to belong in that same list. Not saying they are good guys, but I don't see how they can be even close to on the same level as the others. But I agree with your main point. There is real evil out there and we have a moral prerogative to stop/fight/kill those people. The USA is hardly spotless, but they have a good reputation of standing up to real evil in the world.
  - 628C6l0 8y ago
    That's too cynical. The truth is usually pleasant.
dang 8y ago
Based on the account's history I assume that you're trolling HN like you did before. That's not cool—especially on divisive topics, where it has a genuinely destructive effect. I've banned your account until we get an indication that you'll use the site as intended. You're welcome to read https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and email us at hn@ycombinator.com if that's what you'd like to do.

But is that really as hypocritical as you seem to suggest? After all we are, for lack of a better phrase, the good guys. It's not unprincipled to give the good guys more benefit of the doubt.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

kenmicklas 8y ago

You mean cause everyone thinks they're the good guys right? Cause the US is definitely not the good guys.

628C6l0 8y ago
Are you kidding me? I can't fathom how your last sentence could even conceivably be true.
- owenmarshall 8y ago
  Ask an Iraqi if we are the good guys. Or an Afghan. Or a Salvadoran, Grenadian, Cambodian,...
  - 628C6l0 8y ago
    I don't see how that's relevant. The mere fact that some people deny that 911 happened doesn't mean 911 didn't happen.
wavefunction 8y ago
There are no good guys.
- GW150914 8y ago
  There are no good guys. And yet, there are bad guys. Churchill was a bastard, and no kind of “good guy” yet Hitler and the Nazis were the bad guys. C‘est la vie. Stalin was one of the bad guys, and so was Slobodan Milosovic, and so is Dick Cheney, Tony Blair, Pol Pot, etc. Good guy is a tough category to fill, but history is full of inexcusable monsters and we should be careful with our moral relativism.
  - eloff 8y ago
    Dick Cheney and Tony Blair don't seem to belong in that same list. Not saying they are good guys, but I don't see how they can be even close to on the same level as the others. But I agree with your main point. There is real evil out there and we have a moral prerogative to stop/fight/kill those people. The USA is hardly spotless, but they have a good reputation of standing up to real evil in the world.
- 628C6l0 8y ago
  That's too cynical. The truth is usually pleasant.

dang 8y ago

Based on the account's history I assume that you're trolling HN like you did before. That's not cool—especially on divisive topics, where it has a genuinely destructive effect. I've banned your account until we get an indication that you'll use the site as intended. You're welcome to read https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and email us at hn@ycombinator.com if that's what you'd like to do.