How a culture of dehumanization and denial keeps ICE and Border Patrol personnel “at war with an enemy that does not fight back.”
Archived at https://archive.ph/Qv0Wk
How a culture of dehumanization and denial keeps ICE and Border Patrol personnel “at war with an enemy that does not fight back.”
Archived at https://archive.ph/Qv0Wk
It’s not that I think you’re wrong per se, but I think this way of thinking is interesting.
One of the things I’ve come to believe after reading the Discworld novels by Sir Terry Pratchett - and I think this is an incredibly important insight about humanity and humans - is that there are no good people or evil people. There are only people. And those people - we people - choose to do things that are good (or at least we believe so), or evil (or we choose to not care about the consequences for others for our actions).
And the reason I think that is critical: Let’s talk about Hitler. Most people say Hitler was evil. But I say: He was not evil. He was simple a person that chose to do all of those things that he did.
The truly scary thing is that any person can choose to do those evil things. And we know this: Look at all the people who go out and shoot a bunch of people or shoot up a school. Those are “normal” people, for the most part. If you rode the bus or were waiting in some line with them, you’d make small talk about the weather and such.
I choose not to do those things, like you choose not to do them. And unfortunately, some people do choose to do those things. People choose to work for ICE, they choose to abuse the noncitizens and even citizens they interact with. They might feel trapped by the money, but they still choose to keep working there and doing those things. They choose to lie to themselves and try to make themselves feel better about it.
Not that I’m perfect. I can reflect on my life and see times when I’m selfish and stupid and do things that onconvenience others or harm them, and I don’t like those parts about myself.
It’s all about choices. We do not choose our circumstances; only how we react to them and by what we choose to do.
Our range of choices are influenced by our environment, sure, but they are also influenced by our values. The choices you make show what your values are.
Nah, you can’t invoke Terry Pratchett to try to white wash nazis. First of all thats wildly insulting to Terry, secondly it is just as simple as they are fucking evil.
There are people who do bad things sure everyone has. But most people, good people, normal people recognize immediately that ICE is nothing more than the gestapo dressed in red white and blue.
Systemically rounding up, oppressing, profiling, murdering, and putting people in cages requires evil. They are just evil.
Good thing I fucking wasn’t then. If you can’t be bothered to comprehend clearly written language, bugger off somewhere else. You misunderstand me AND downvote? No, fuck your disrespect for me and for Sir Terry.
If you want to disagree, that’s one thing, but to completely disregard what I said and imply that I would sully Pratchett is unforgivable. Fuck all the way off.
Well that was quite the tantrum.