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"Why Every Terrible Person Thinks Theyre A Hero"
http://www.cracked.com/blog/why-every-terrible-person-thinks-theyE28099re-hero/... or see entire comment sections full of people rooting for a guy who shot a car thief to death. The logic almost makes sense if you squint -- if the victim hadn't resisted (or suddenly moved their hands, or smoked weed, or failed to signal, or illegally crossed the border), they'd still be alive, therefore they have no one to blame but themselves.
That "no one to blame" phrasing is key. It implies that once someone breaks a rule, you can do whatever you want to them and you cannot be blamed.
...
... prejudice almost always hides behind a supposed zeal for justice. Internet hate mobs never flood a woman's inbox with death threats without a JWD to justify it. ("She wouldn't be getting these calls in the middle of the night if she hadn't made fun of us on Twitter!" ) And where a crime doesn't exist, we'll extrapolate one. "Of course I thought my family was in mortal danger when that Mexican man approached the car! After all, if a guy will cross the border illegally, he'll rape a woman. He's already proven he doesn't care about the law!"
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But what about all of the good people out there with weird hair, those insecure guys shyly trying to hide bald spots? Or your allies who are unattractive, nervous, and unsuccessful at sex? How are they not supposed to take home the message that personal appearance apparently matters just as much as their moral choices, and that sexual failure is something to be deeply ashamed of? That it doesn't matter if you're one of the good guys if you also have poor grooming and social skills?
Well fuck, now look what's happened. We've not only justified cruelty toward our enemies based on their past sins, but justified cruelty to totally unrelated people.
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You hear experts talk about how extremists get "radicalized" ... All it takes is a closed like-minded social circle in which it's considered unacceptable to disagree with the group, and then devote that group to hating something. It doesn't even matter if the thing truly deserves hating -- it still turns toxic. In fact, it works better if it does. "How can you criticize any flaw in our group's behavior when the other side is Nazis! That's literally saying that both sides are the same! The mere existence of pure evil on the other side mathematically means our side is pure good!"
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At some point, an action will be suggested that you would normally consider immoral. It doesn't have to involve armed mobs or building bombs. Depending on the time, place, and cause, it might be as minor as agreeing to spread a lie. ("I mean, even if they didn't really do it, they probably did something just as bad! It's not like they never lie about us!")
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But I'm personally telling you, as an individual human being, that you need to ask yourself one crucial question: Are you in it for the cause, or are you in it for the fight? There's an easy way to tell: Do you get involved with the boring parts?
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Hell, in the 2016 election that supposedly determined the future of humanity "Did Not Vote" won 44 of 50 states.
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9/11 was used to justify all sorts of atrocities that had nothing to do with the attacks on America that day. And people love to say it changed everything. Because don't you care about safety? Then you're siding with the enemy.
"voted for Hillary" won my state so the rest of you need to step up your game.
Sheet cake for everyone
L'otters know how to do it right
that most of the damage 'caused' by 9/11 was self-inflicted.
