We must always fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil that we must fear the most, and that is the indifference of good men.
Boondock Saints, 1999
“The Pathology of Man: A Study of Human Evil” by Steven James Bartlett.
A large majority of people have a psychological need to obey authority. That is their behavior.
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This quote is a bit sensational. I get the point, but shaming people who mind their own business and keep politics out of literally everything? They should be championed. Maybe if we had more of those kinds of people we wouldn’t be so screwed as a society.
No, your attitude is exactly backwards. Those people are perhaps the most callously evil of all, arguably even more harmful to society than the fascist partisans themselves, because they’re the ones who let them get away with it!
If you think that quote is “sensational,” how about MLK’s thoughts on the same topic?
First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.
Some people just want to live their lives looking after their families. The idea that someone who wants to mind their own business being evil is a sad world view. I’m not suggesting that fascism should be ignored but what would you have me do? Take up arms and shoot my neighbors?
Too bad. You live in a society, which comes with responsibilities. You are not entitled to ignore evil being done in your name.
In what way is “best not to step in while my neighbors are getting bagged” not ignoring fascism?
This guy would be fine with his neighbour murdering and barbequing people right next door. “Best not to get involved - I just ignore the screams at night, they don’t last that long.”
The point is, that it is a privileged position to not worry about how others are abused. Just because you “mind your own business” doesn’t mean the 13-year-old down the street isn’t getting dragged to a gas chamber.
Being apolitical is a cowardly way to live and makes you a horrible fucking person.
Imagine this quote in reverse. Imagine that the issue is with people being pacifist towards communism. Then what? Who is evil now? You think communism hasn’t been responsible for its own atrocities? These are just forms of government but man is the one who is corrupted.
The people committing atrocities are evil. I hate this sort of argument. Not everyone is so tied to their ideology that they overlook basic morality.
“What if we unseal those documents and it turns out some of YOUR SIDE did the bad thing too?” Then they are shit people who should be punished for doing the shit thing.
You don’t have a choice, “keeping politics out of everything” is by itself a political stance that says you’re okay with good or bad behaviour. You participate in politics by just existing as it forms the very basis of society.
