Q. I hear a lot of talk in the social media these days about the morality of punching Nazis, and would like to hear your take on the subject.
A. The question contains an obvious tell that it was posited from a left wing 'progressive' mindset, and that alone should act as a warning that it has been misleadingly framed.
While there are many points of difference between right wing 'conservative' and left wing 'progressive' mindsets, one of the most anti-civilisation, pro-division, pro-chaos left wing positions is its default to collectivism. This is contrasted with right wing conservative individualism below (not dictionary definitions):
Individualism
The recognition that in spite of the influence of external factors, the individual (or conspiring individuals) is ultimately responsible for his/her choices and actions.
Collectivism
The principle by which society is divided along arbitrarily defined lines such as race, gender, political affiliation etc.; those grouped on one side are punished, while those grouped on the other side are rewarded. The individual is defined by the group they are assigned to, frequently by factors they have no control over. Accordingly, the fault or virtue of an individual is borne by the group, and the punishment or reward for the group is borne by any individual member, at the discretion of whoever decides they are in charge at that time.
The problem with collectivism, as should be somewhat obvious, is that it is inherently authoritarian and discriminatory. This is why it should come as no surprise that it was the left wing Democrats who were opposed to ending slavery, responsible for Japanese internment, opposed to civil rights and an end to segregation, and many other discriminatory crimes against humanity that people seem to think the right wing Republicans were responsible for.
So how does this relate to punching Nazis?
Well, as groups go, the Nazis carry something of a stigma that stops people from wanting to be associated with them—even people that agree with some (but by no means all) of the Nazi positions. It is not enough that the collectivist mindset demands that anybody in any way sympathetic to a particular group of people—a number of whom were responsible for some very terrible things—must therefore also be guilty of all the same crimes 70 years after the fact, but it is also up to the collectivist to determine for themselves who is guilty of this sympathy. And typically, it's anybody that disagrees with them over anything.
Q. Could you give an illustrated example of this please?
A. Sure. Meet Adam. He's a left wing 'progressive'. One day he sees Bob in a crowd. Bob is wearing a shirt that implies he and Adam might disagree over some things. Adam's thinking quickly races through the following train of logic to a startling conclusion.
"Bob evidently disagrees with with my political position."
"My political position is enlightened, and therefore Bob's must be chaotic and evil."
"The Nazis were chaotic and evil."
"Bob is therefore a Nazi."
"The Nazis were all for genocide."
"Bob is therefore all for genocide, and must be stopped."
Adam proceeds to punch Bob in the face, on the grounds that Bob is a Nazi, and a genocidal maniac that must be stopped. Other left wing 'progressives' who also saw Bob's t-shirt and came to similar conclusions praise Adam for his bravery, condemn Bob some more, call him a cry baby, and debate on the internet whether it is justified to punch Nazis (conclusion, 'Absolutely!')
Bob, incidentally, is not for genocide at all, and disagrees with the Nazis over most things. Sadly for him though, he was grouped in with the Nazis and punished as an individual for the crimes of different individuals at the sole discretion of a self professed advocate of justice.
In his somewhat well known novel, 1984, George Orwell talked about the Thought Police. What made them terrifying was the concept that people were punished for their opinions, rather than the choices they make and actions they carry out as a result of those opinions. If Adam is to be taken at his word, he represents a rising movement that is far more frightening. He is the self professed police, prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner of trumped up thought crimes that only exist in his own head. And for this, he is hailed a hero on national TV.
Now, the individualist mindset of the right wing conservative would see this whole sequence of events slightly differently. They're conclusion would be that Adam is a deranged psychopath, prone to acts of unwarranted violence against innocent passersby, and needs to be locked up. His excuse is literally just that—an excuse—and demonstrates yet further that he is unhinged and a danger to society.
Individualism
The recognition that in spite of the influence of external factors, the individual (or conspiring individuals) is ultimately responsible for his/her choices and actions.
Collectivism
The principle by which society is divided along arbitrarily defined lines such as race, gender, political affiliation etc.; those grouped on one side are punished, while those grouped on the other side are rewarded. The individual is defined by the group they are assigned to, frequently by factors they have no control over. Accordingly, the fault or virtue of an individual is borne by the group, and the punishment or reward for the group is borne by any individual member, at the discretion of whoever decides they are in charge at that time.
The problem with collectivism, as should be somewhat obvious, is that it is inherently authoritarian and discriminatory. This is why it should come as no surprise that it was the left wing Democrats who were opposed to ending slavery, responsible for Japanese internment, opposed to civil rights and an end to segregation, and many other discriminatory crimes against humanity that people seem to think the right wing Republicans were responsible for.
So how does this relate to punching Nazis?
Well, as groups go, the Nazis carry something of a stigma that stops people from wanting to be associated with them—even people that agree with some (but by no means all) of the Nazi positions. It is not enough that the collectivist mindset demands that anybody in any way sympathetic to a particular group of people—a number of whom were responsible for some very terrible things—must therefore also be guilty of all the same crimes 70 years after the fact, but it is also up to the collectivist to determine for themselves who is guilty of this sympathy. And typically, it's anybody that disagrees with them over anything.
Q. Could you give an illustrated example of this please?
A. Sure. Meet Adam. He's a left wing 'progressive'. One day he sees Bob in a crowd. Bob is wearing a shirt that implies he and Adam might disagree over some things. Adam's thinking quickly races through the following train of logic to a startling conclusion.
"Bob evidently disagrees with with my political position."
"My political position is enlightened, and therefore Bob's must be chaotic and evil."
"The Nazis were chaotic and evil."
"Bob is therefore a Nazi."
"The Nazis were all for genocide."
"Bob is therefore all for genocide, and must be stopped."
Adam proceeds to punch Bob in the face, on the grounds that Bob is a Nazi, and a genocidal maniac that must be stopped. Other left wing 'progressives' who also saw Bob's t-shirt and came to similar conclusions praise Adam for his bravery, condemn Bob some more, call him a cry baby, and debate on the internet whether it is justified to punch Nazis (conclusion, 'Absolutely!')
Bob, incidentally, is not for genocide at all, and disagrees with the Nazis over most things. Sadly for him though, he was grouped in with the Nazis and punished as an individual for the crimes of different individuals at the sole discretion of a self professed advocate of justice.
In his somewhat well known novel, 1984, George Orwell talked about the Thought Police. What made them terrifying was the concept that people were punished for their opinions, rather than the choices they make and actions they carry out as a result of those opinions. If Adam is to be taken at his word, he represents a rising movement that is far more frightening. He is the self professed police, prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner of trumped up thought crimes that only exist in his own head. And for this, he is hailed a hero on national TV.
Now, the individualist mindset of the right wing conservative would see this whole sequence of events slightly differently. They're conclusion would be that Adam is a deranged psychopath, prone to acts of unwarranted violence against innocent passersby, and needs to be locked up. His excuse is literally just that—an excuse—and demonstrates yet further that he is unhinged and a danger to society.
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