Honestly? No part of you thinks that they might just have a darker side that you’re uncomfortable contemplating exists? If so then you are far more optimistic about the human condition than I am. Not disagreeing with your assessment; you obviously know them. I’m just pessimistic that a contradiction of morality of such magnitude can inhabit a single person’s mind. It seems impossible to me to arrive at such conclusions and not have walked down some truly dark, evil paths.
Heart of Darkness and all that? I feel like I’m pretty good at reading people, continue to get better at it. Most people, on an interpersonal level, are good. There are evil people, sociopathic or narcissistic, I usually notice them by their weird affect. Not all the sociopaths are necessarily evil, you just can’t trust them.
Average people don’t usually try to hurt people they know. They will be lazy in their thinking, they’ll hurt people they know through selfishness, average people can do bad things. However, everyone is the hero of their own story. For the most part, people believe they are good and doing good.
Anyhow, part of what makes this so painful is seeing good people get twisted by the propaganda. For instance, the subsurface racism, most of these people were ashamed of their racist views. The racism was exploited and used to short circuit around logic. I watched my grandfather go from a kind and gentle man to using the N-word and spewing Hannity talking points.
So, I blame average people, I think they were mostly good. They fell for an obvious con, chose to listen to the darker parts of their nature instead of using logic. Does that make them evil now? IDK, maybe. Propaganda is a hell of a drug. They were weak. They probably aren’t ever coming back.
It’s a good, admirable perspective that you have, truly, and a shame about the averages in our society. I would, and will, wish for more with your outlook.
Honestly? No part of you thinks that they might just have a darker side that you’re uncomfortable contemplating exists? If so then you are far more optimistic about the human condition than I am. Not disagreeing with your assessment; you obviously know them. I’m just pessimistic that a contradiction of morality of such magnitude can inhabit a single person’s mind. It seems impossible to me to arrive at such conclusions and not have walked down some truly dark, evil paths.
Heart of Darkness and all that? I feel like I’m pretty good at reading people, continue to get better at it. Most people, on an interpersonal level, are good. There are evil people, sociopathic or narcissistic, I usually notice them by their weird affect. Not all the sociopaths are necessarily evil, you just can’t trust them.
Average people don’t usually try to hurt people they know. They will be lazy in their thinking, they’ll hurt people they know through selfishness, average people can do bad things. However, everyone is the hero of their own story. For the most part, people believe they are good and doing good.
Anyhow, part of what makes this so painful is seeing good people get twisted by the propaganda. For instance, the subsurface racism, most of these people were ashamed of their racist views. The racism was exploited and used to short circuit around logic. I watched my grandfather go from a kind and gentle man to using the N-word and spewing Hannity talking points.
So, I blame average people, I think they were mostly good. They fell for an obvious con, chose to listen to the darker parts of their nature instead of using logic. Does that make them evil now? IDK, maybe. Propaganda is a hell of a drug. They were weak. They probably aren’t ever coming back.
It’s a good, admirable perspective that you have, truly, and a shame about the averages in our society. I would, and will, wish for more with your outlook.