Principia Discordia

Principia Discordia => Two vast and trunkless legs of stone => Topic started by: Q. G. Pennyworth on June 05, 2017, 07:38:02 PM

Title: Nobody Thinks They're The Bad Guy
Post by: Q. G. Pennyworth on June 05, 2017, 07:38:02 PM
Nobody thinks they're the bad guy.
Nobody wakes up in the morning, stretches out the crick in their neck, rubs the gunk out of their eyes, and thinks to themselves "Welp, time to go make the world a worse place than it was before I got here! What a great day to be evil." It doesn't happen. Nobody, nowhere, believes they're the bad guy.
There are people who know they are doing bad things, of course. And if you talk with them about it they will not deny that what they are doing is bad, but they will tell you at length how it is necessary. They'll tell you how they have come to be in this terrible position of being forced to do bad in the world, despite the fact that they are, in their hearts, a good person. They may be very convincing. They may even be right.
There are people who do not see what they are doing as evil in the first place, no matter how terrible it may seem to an outsider. These people do not see themselves as victims, but rather as warriors. They are fighting the good fight in their own minds, and they surround themselves with people who believe the same, or at least do nothing to challenge that belief. They are operating with a reality-interpreting grid that allows them to see some humans as "less," or some human behavior as "unacceptable in any circumstances." They live in a world where the stakes are high and time is short, and they are doing their part to make the world better.
They may be wrong and they may be crazy, but they still never think of themselves as the bad guy.
And this isn't to say never fight back, it's not to say you are required by some law of bipedalism to accept their opinion of themselves. This isn't a demand that you never give up on anybody, no matter how foul their deeds or ideas. It's just a reminder, just some information, because you will be more effective in the fight if you accept all of the intelligence available to you, that you will be in a better position if you build a more accurate internal model of your foes.
Keep moving. Fight good fights.
And pray to whatever gods will listen
that the bad guy
isn't you.
Title: Re: Nobody Thinks They're The Bad Guy
Post by: P3nT4gR4m on June 05, 2017, 08:15:20 PM
I like this. I really like it. Although I do consider myself one of the bad guys so maybe my opinion is biased or invalid or something.
Title: Re: Nobody Thinks They're The Bad Guy
Post by: Q. G. Pennyworth on June 05, 2017, 09:21:34 PM
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on June 05, 2017, 08:15:20 PM
I like this. I really like it. Although I do consider myself one of the bad guys so maybe my opinion is biased or invalid or something.

That actually raises a good point. I do have the whole "we're the bad guys" thing.
Title: Re: Nobody Thinks They're The Bad Guy
Post by: Chucklemaster on June 05, 2017, 09:28:29 PM
That was awesome  :mittens: :mittens: :mittens:
Those who never consider they might be the bad guys are most likely to be the bad guys.
Title: Re: Nobody Thinks They're The Bad Guy
Post by: P3nT4gR4m on June 05, 2017, 10:04:02 PM
Quote from: Q. G. Pennyworth on June 05, 2017, 09:21:34 PM
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on June 05, 2017, 08:15:20 PM
I like this. I really like it. Although I do consider myself one of the bad guys so maybe my opinion is biased or invalid or something.

That actually raises a good point. I do have the whole "we're the bad guys" thing.

To me, it's related to the - smart people doubt themselves whereas stupid people have stupid self confidence - thing. A default position of "I'm an evil wanker but I'd like to be less so." seems preferable to me than "I'm doing all this insane evil bullshit for all the right reasons and if I die I get cake."

When I hear either those kinds of statements, mostly it's wankers on both sides with edgelords on one side and WBC on the other. The exceptions to this rule are invariably self confessed evil fuckers who aren't necessarily proud of the fact and might not broadcast it all that loud.

I'm wary of the right thing. I kinda try to do it but I'm always aware I've been wrong before. Believing in a right thing limits it's ability to become a wrong thing, which right things have a tendency to do from time to time.
Title: Re: Nobody Thinks They're The Bad Guy
Post by: The Good Reverend Roger on June 05, 2017, 11:53:02 PM
Quote from: Q. G. Pennyworth on June 05, 2017, 09:21:34 PM
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on June 05, 2017, 08:15:20 PM
I like this. I really like it. Although I do consider myself one of the bad guys so maybe my opinion is biased or invalid or something.

That actually raises a good point. I do have the whole "we're the bad guys" thing.

Being a good citizen is only a good thing if you live in a good society.

The world doesn't need good guys right now.  We have good guys falling out of every orifice, and we are fucking the dog and wondering why everyone is staring.

The world needs P3NT and ECH and YOU all fucked up on cheap whiskey and eyeballing the good guys with very little charity in mind.
Title: Re: Nobody Thinks They're The Bad Guy
Post by: Cain on June 06, 2017, 12:15:21 AM
Everybody has a story to justify their actions.  I did it for the "greater good."  I didn't do this because it's not "really needed".  It's "not my responsibility".

I think deep down we do know when we're being the bad guy, unless we're completely oblivious.  But we'll always have a handy story to rationalise our actions.
Title: Re: Nobody Thinks They're The Bad Guy
Post by: The Good Reverend Roger on June 06, 2017, 12:21:23 AM
Quote from: Cain on June 06, 2017, 12:15:21 AM
Everybody has a story to justify their actions.  I did it for the "greater good."  I didn't do this because it's not "really needed".  It's "not my responsibility".

I think deep down we do know when we're being the bad guy, unless we're completely oblivious.  But we'll always have a handy story to rationalise our actions.

"If you have to hide it, you're doing bad things."
- Some German bastard 200 years ago.
Title: Re: Nobody Thinks They're The Bad Guy
Post by: Mesozoic Mister Nigel on June 06, 2017, 04:47:54 PM
Spot on, QG. Related, this classic article: http://scottberkun.com/essays/40-why-smart-people-defend-bad-ideas/
Title: Re: Nobody Thinks They're The Bad Guy
Post by: POFP on June 06, 2017, 05:55:23 PM
:mittens:

This is great.
Title: Re: Nobody Thinks They're The Bad Guy
Post by: Chelagoras The Boulder on June 12, 2017, 08:56:36 PM
I remember reading somewhere that a major sign of being an evil bastard is never stopping to worry you might be one. Obviously worrying about it doesn't make you a saint, but you're less likely to fuck up if you're stopping to check your moral maths.
Title: Re: Nobody Thinks They're The Bad Guy
Post by: Mesozoic Mister Nigel on June 12, 2017, 09:10:48 PM
Quote from: Chelagoras The Boulder on June 12, 2017, 08:56:36 PM
I remember reading somewhere that a major sign of being an evil bastard is never stopping to worry you might be one. Obviously worrying about it doesn't make you a saint, but you're less likely to fuck up if you're stopping to check your moral maths.

Yep! This is where self-checking comes in. People tend to be very resistant to self-checking, though, as the "dig your heels in and screech" principle illustrates.
Title: Re: Nobody Thinks They're The Bad Guy
Post by: hooplala on June 12, 2017, 10:02:40 PM
I still feel it frequently. Whenever I have a negative reaction to an idea, without any decent reason as to why, it's time to pull over and give it some serious thought.