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Leonard Cohen's 1971 poem made the point much more succinctly: All There is to Know About Adolph Eichmann EYES:……………………………………Medium HAIR:……………………………………Medium

by Steko 12y ago

Leonard Cohen's 1971 poem made the point much more succinctly: All There is to Know About Adolph Eichmann EYES:……………………………………Medium HAIR:……………………………………Medium WEIGHT:………………………………Medium HEIGHT:………………………………Medium DISTINGUISHING FEATURES…None NUMBER OF FINGERS:………..Ten NUMBER OF TOES………………Ten INTELLIGENCE…………………….Medium What did you expect? Talons? Oversize incisors? Green saliva? Madness?

arjie 12y ago
Stunning. We want to portray evil as exceptional, different from us in obvious perceivable ways, but it is not.
- BillFranklin 12y ago
  Wow, that Leonard Cohen poem. It's true for the Nazi leadership too; explaining Hitler as a madman diminishes the horror of his actions. Point is, he was a sane man. It's only by admitting that he was one of us that helps us not repeat history.
  - coldtea 12y ago
    Plus, he had a huge following who shared the same beliefs. Not just in German population, but also in the ruiling and upper classes of Europe, the US and Latin America. And, of course, it's not like his actions were that different than things like the slavery of African Americans, the colonization and enslavement of 2/3 of the world by the European colonial powers (with tens of millions of dead, and heinous acts of torture and mass murder), etc.
- Houshalter 12y ago
  Are Your Enemies Innately Evil?: http://lesswrong.com/lw/i0/are_your_enemies_innately_evil/ http://lesswrong.com/lw/i0/are_your_enemies_innately_evil/ >Realistically, most people don't construct their life stories with themselves as the villains. Everyone is the hero of their own story. The Enemy's story, as seen by the Enemy, is not going to make the Enemy look bad. If you try to construe motivations that would make the Enemy look bad, you'll end up flat wrong about what actually goes on in the Enemy's mind. However something like 4% of men are sociopaths, so this isn't always true. But as far as I know, Hitler was not a sociopath, nor were all of the countless other people involved.

by Steko 12y ago

arjie 12y ago

Stunning. We want to portray evil as exceptional, different from us in obvious perceivable ways, but it is not.

BillFranklin 12y ago
Wow, that Leonard Cohen poem. It's true for the Nazi leadership too; explaining Hitler as a madman diminishes the horror of his actions. Point is, he was a sane man. It's only by admitting that he was one of us that helps us not repeat history.
- coldtea 12y ago
  Plus, he had a huge following who shared the same beliefs. Not just in German population, but also in the ruiling and upper classes of Europe, the US and Latin America. And, of course, it's not like his actions were that different than things like the slavery of African Americans, the colonization and enslavement of 2/3 of the world by the European colonial powers (with tens of millions of dead, and heinous acts of torture and mass murder), etc.
Houshalter 12y ago
Are Your Enemies Innately Evil?: http://lesswrong.com/lw/i0/are_your_enemies_innately_evil/ http://lesswrong.com/lw/i0/are_your_enemies_innately_evil/ >Realistically, most people don't construct their life stories with themselves as the villains. Everyone is the hero of their own story. The Enemy's story, as seen by the Enemy, is not going to make the Enemy look bad. If you try to construe motivations that would make the Enemy look bad, you'll end up flat wrong about what actually goes on in the Enemy's mind. However something like 4% of men are sociopaths, so this isn't always true. But as far as I know, Hitler was not a sociopath, nor were all of the countless other people involved.