"Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him." -Dostoevsky
On twitter a lot of people are essentially saying "Good, now we'll get answers." I'm sorry to say I don't believe there is typically anything satisfying about the answers of people who become deranged. Maybe this time, but if reading about madmen past is any guide, its very unlikely that we will be enlightened by any testimony.
I interpret that quote differently than you. To me he's saying not that we won't learn anything from evildoers, but that it's important that we really try.
And I think that's exactly right. The younger suspect seems by all accounts to be a smart young man. It's important that we try to understand what drove him to do something so terrible, even as we denounce it.
No offence, but this was islamic terror, read thenews. What explanation do you expect to find ? That there are muslims in America that try to teach every kid they can get their hands on to massacre their neighbors for not being muslims ?
Because if history is any guide, that's all you'll find.
Oh and it's the same story Russians (google "Beslan" and see how lucky the US has been so far), Britons, Spaniards, Chinese, Taiwanese, Philipinos, ... encounter. Which makes it very hard to believe those few extremely weak explanations like "it's the Iraq/Afghanistan war" that are given.
Sorry to state the obvious. Someone has to.
Let me just say : this is very likely to intensify from this point on. The attacks I mean. Why don't we just start the "but drone strikes justify random attacks on civilians" thread ? We all know it's coming. Don't expect me to post anything though.
There's a lot of practical information to be obtained, though. What the elder brother was doing out of the country for 6 months, through what channels he became radicalized, whether they were co-conspirators or the younger was just along for the ride, did they act alone or were they funded/goaded on by extremest groups, etc.
The unabomber's manifesto was highly enlightening, and also frightening for how right he seemed on some of his points even if you technically disagree with many of them.
How old is the maxim "the road to hell is paved with good intentions"? And yet how often do we ignore it?
Much of the worst evil in history has been committed in service to a hypothetical greater good, or in retribution against very real wrongs. Germany had serious grievances in their treatment after WWI, for example. Communism, including Stalinism and Maoism, was a response against an extremely unjust social and economic order. Just because you've been wronged and victimized doesn't give you free reign to commit wrongs yourself.
I'm not attacking you, relax, reread what I wrote, there's no attack there.
I'm saying that most of the time people who do bad things based on ideological grounds are "right" about certain things in some way. It's the norm more than the exception. Real bad guys often have significant and real grievances, but it's how people respond to grievances and wrongs against them that makes them bad or good.
On twitter a lot of people are essentially saying "Good, now we'll get answers." I'm sorry to say I don't believe there is typically anything satisfying about the answers of people who become deranged. Maybe this time, but if reading about madmen past is any guide, its very unlikely that we will be enlightened by any testimony.
Answer is really simple: in his own world /subculture he is a hero, a martyr and his name is being mentioned worldwide.
Or maybe it's the OTHER simple and cultural answer: they were seen as "losers", then lost it and decided to kill random people. Pretty much like Columbine and all the other "seemingly normal kid kills random people with guns" incidents that keep happening, again and again. It doesn't matter, though - at this point, it's all just random speculation.
Comments
"Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him." -Dostoevsky
On twitter a lot of people are essentially saying "Good, now we'll get answers." I'm sorry to say I don't believe there is typically anything satisfying about the answers of people who become deranged. Maybe this time, but if reading about madmen past is any guide, its very unlikely that we will be enlightened by any testimony.
I interpret that quote differently than you. To me he's saying not that we won't learn anything from evildoers, but that it's important that we really try.
And I think that's exactly right. The younger suspect seems by all accounts to be a smart young man. It's important that we try to understand what drove him to do something so terrible, even as we denounce it.
>To me he's saying not that we won't learn anything from evildoers, but that it's important that we really try.
I read it the same way.
Though, I don't think it's about literally learning from any individual, but to attempt to understand the underlying mechanisms.
No offence, but this was islamic terror, read thenews. What explanation do you expect to find ? That there are muslims in America that try to teach every kid they can get their hands on to massacre their neighbors for not being muslims ?
Because if history is any guide, that's all you'll find.
Oh and it's the same story Russians (google "Beslan" and see how lucky the US has been so far), Britons, Spaniards, Chinese, Taiwanese, Philipinos, ... encounter. Which makes it very hard to believe those few extremely weak explanations like "it's the Iraq/Afghanistan war" that are given.
Sorry to state the obvious. Someone has to.
Let me just say : this is very likely to intensify from this point on. The attacks I mean. Why don't we just start the "but drone strikes justify random attacks on civilians" thread ? We all know it's coming. Don't expect me to post anything though.
In all honesty, what the hell are you on about?
There's a lot of practical information to be obtained, though. What the elder brother was doing out of the country for 6 months, through what channels he became radicalized, whether they were co-conspirators or the younger was just along for the ride, did they act alone or were they funded/goaded on by extremest groups, etc.
Even a deranged motive provides some explanation, which is more than we have.
The unabomber's manifesto was highly enlightening, and also frightening for how right he seemed on some of his points even if you technically disagree with many of them.
How old is the maxim "the road to hell is paved with good intentions"? And yet how often do we ignore it?
Much of the worst evil in history has been committed in service to a hypothetical greater good, or in retribution against very real wrongs. Germany had serious grievances in their treatment after WWI, for example. Communism, including Stalinism and Maoism, was a response against an extremely unjust social and economic order. Just because you've been wronged and victimized doesn't give you free reign to commit wrongs yourself.
Who are you talking to? Nobody justified anybodies work, not this terrorist, not the unabomber and not any other organized retribution in history.
No commentary was made except that the unabombers manifesto was enlightening. That is all.
I'm not attacking you, relax, reread what I wrote, there's no attack there.
I'm saying that most of the time people who do bad things based on ideological grounds are "right" about certain things in some way. It's the norm more than the exception. Real bad guys often have significant and real grievances, but it's how people respond to grievances and wrongs against them that makes them bad or good.
On twitter a lot of people are essentially saying "Good, now we'll get answers." I'm sorry to say I don't believe there is typically anything satisfying about the answers of people who become deranged. Maybe this time, but if reading about madmen past is any guide, its very unlikely that we will be enlightened by any testimony.
Answer is really simple: in his own world /subculture he is a hero, a martyr and his name is being mentioned worldwide.
Or maybe it's the OTHER simple and cultural answer: they were seen as "losers", then lost it and decided to kill random people. Pretty much like Columbine and all the other "seemingly normal kid kills random people with guns" incidents that keep happening, again and again. It doesn't matter, though - at this point, it's all just random speculation.
Maybe, but I've read about Chechnya.
I'd bet on the religion angle. Especially the young generation can be very motivated as they seek their identity.