Most people simply are cowards and fools.
Comment on necessary read
kelpie_returns@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Kind of? Many of them, if not most, are also victims of the same system that indoctrinated them. Like an awful, evil feedback loop of victimization.
Not to say that makes it okay ofc, but all people are fallible and all can be played for fools under the right circumstances, which is just a very important thing to remember at times like these.
sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
KombatWombat@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
Yeah, I view them as catspaws. They are assisting someone working against their interests without understanding how they are being used. You can show sympathy for them while nonetheless opposing them.
And you’re right that everyone should have the humility to accept they also sabotage themselves sometimes. But electing who will lead the country is high stakes and some accountability is fair.
kelpie_returns@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
I didn’t mean to insinuate that anybody should not be held accountable for their actions. Just the opposite is how I feel, really. But I also believe that many of them can do and learn better if provided with the right care and resources. That’s not to say I know how to make that work, but that there is always, always, always a better path forward if enough qualified and caring people put their heads together and make it happen.
Very few of us are truly and entirely irredeemable. Some just take a lot more resources and time to be redeemed than others, is how I see it. I believe it is worth it, for the sake of all of our futures as well as those of people yet to be born, to try and see to it that paths like this are taken and doubled down on as soon as is possible. I’m a fan of Orwell’s and, more often than not, in agreement with the views he shared. Still, I took his wording to be a bit too absolutist for my tastes on this quote. Ubderstandably, given what we know of his lived experience, but still. There is always a better way as long as there are still people trying to find it. I don’t believe in all of us, but I do believe in the capital ‘u’ Us, you know?
And I’m not familiar with the term “catspaws”. Feel like teaching a stranger something new?
KombatWombat@lemmy.world 1 hour ago
Well said. To be clear, I agree with your outlook on human nature, but I try to check myself on not being optimistic to the point of ignoring people’s history. People do change, but we can’t presume in which direction that will be. We must remember improvement is a hope and a genuine possibility, but not an expectation. On the other hand, Orwell is regarded as insightful for good reason but of course he is also very cynical about people and the future.
A catspaw is just a term for someone who is used as a tool of another to their detriment. It comes from a French fable where a monkey convinces a cat to grab some roasting chestnuts for them to eat, but the monkey eats them all while the cat ends up burning its paw.