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I always find it amazing how easy it is for governments to find people who will commit atrocities for them. This should be a warning for us thinking “I would ne

I always find it amazing how easy it is for governments to find people who will commit atrocities for them. This should be a warning for us thinking “I would never do this”. Most of us probably would go along

areoform 7y ago
At the risk of bringing out the worst in all of us, I'd like to point out that this is as natural as the human tendency to divide into in groups and out groups. The next "logical" step always seems to be a demand to punish the out-group. It reminds me of the now famous quote by a person who later said about their vote to a certain controversial individual; “I voted for him, and he’s the one who’s doing this, [note: government shutdown] I thought he was going to do good things. He’s not hurting the people he needs to be hurting.” People sometimes foist leaders into power to hurt others in a bid to help themselves. But they often forget that the boundaries for in groups and out groups are fluid. And that those who are in can also be out and the new ones who are in can do the same to those who are out.
mattmanser 7y ago
I don't. As sickening and distressing the words are above you, I don't. Most people want to be safe and when the absolute worst is happening, they want to survive it. I know you are insinuating/thinking the same, but I want to be explicit. Can you, in all honesty, blame them?
throwaway1997 7y ago
I think the second point of the cable helps explain this: > 60 PERCENT ILLITERATE AND ARE CALLED PRIMITIVES... THEY WERE KEPT WITHOUT NEWS FOR TEN DAYS AND TOLD THEY WERE TO TAKE PART IN AN EXERCISE. A TV FILM WOULD BE MADE OF THE EXERCISE WHICH PLEASED THEM.
- maxxxxx 7y ago
  Don't be arrogant. A lot of "smart" people would go along as well.
  - throwaway1997 7y ago
    My point was that they isolated a group of people, who had never been educated, from the outside world then bribed them with something they wanted. That is not arrogant. You do not live in China so it's probably hard for you to understand how our government controls the flow of information and then uses the ignorance to is advantage.
    - maxxxxx 7y ago
      My point was that a lot of people decide to play along with this stuff. This is not limited to uneducated people.
      - throwaway1997 7y ago
        Your assumption is that I am using "uneducated" as an insult rather than a fact.
        maxxxxx 7y ago
        That's how it's usually used.

areoform 7y ago

At the risk of bringing out the worst in all of us, I'd like to point out that this is as natural as the human tendency to divide into in groups and out groups. The next "logical" step always seems to be a demand to punish the out-group. It reminds me of the now famous quote by a person who later said about their vote to a certain controversial individual; “I voted for him, and he’s the one who’s doing this, [note: government shutdown] I thought he was going to do good things. He’s not hurting the people he needs to be hurting.” People sometimes foist leaders into power to hurt others in a bid to help themselves. But they often forget that the boundaries for in groups and out groups are fluid. And that those who are in can also be out and the new ones who are in can do the same to those who are out.

mattmanser 7y ago

I don't. As sickening and distressing the words are above you, I don't. Most people want to be safe and when the absolute worst is happening, they want to survive it. I know you are insinuating/thinking the same, but I want to be explicit. Can you, in all honesty, blame them?

throwaway1997 7y ago

I think the second point of the cable helps explain this: > 60 PERCENT ILLITERATE AND ARE CALLED PRIMITIVES... THEY WERE KEPT WITHOUT NEWS FOR TEN DAYS AND TOLD THEY WERE TO TAKE PART IN AN EXERCISE. A TV FILM WOULD BE MADE OF THE EXERCISE WHICH PLEASED THEM.

maxxxxx 7y ago
Don't be arrogant. A lot of "smart" people would go along as well.
- throwaway1997 7y ago
  My point was that they isolated a group of people, who had never been educated, from the outside world then bribed them with something they wanted. That is not arrogant. You do not live in China so it's probably hard for you to understand how our government controls the flow of information and then uses the ignorance to is advantage.
  - maxxxxx 7y ago
    My point was that a lot of people decide to play along with this stuff. This is not limited to uneducated people.
    - throwaway1997 7y ago
      Your assumption is that I am using "uneducated" as an insult rather than a fact.
      - maxxxxx 7y ago
        That's how it's usually used.