The banality of evil is what always makes it so hard to swallow. It makes sense to be evil for real gain, real change, real something simply because you can see the temptation.
Instead its always the most petty and childish of things that brings about the most evil from people.
It is banal and, yes, petty and childish...but you can still see the gain they're going for; self aggrandizement, and a feeling of purpose and superiority. They need to be the Good Guys, that's the motive.
So there's definitely gain. It's not monetary, it's not exactly power (although you need power to push this on others), but it's just as important to them. It's building their very Self. It's their identity.
self aggrandizement, and a feeling of purpose and superiority
That is the petty and childishness I was talking about it. That is the most weak and teenage form of gain imaginable. That's talking about "finding yourself" as if that's a fucking thing that you can do.
Its a woman throwing away her 40 year marriage and family for a one night fling with a foreign dude. You can see the "gain" of it, but its still the type of gain only a hedonistic child would commit acts of evil for.
Even the Elites committing acts of truly massive evil is banal, simply because its often for money when they are already richer than they could ever spend.
The banality of evil is what always makes it so hard to swallow. It makes sense to be evil for real gain, real change, real something simply because you can see the temptation.
Instead its always the most petty and childish of things that brings about the most evil from people.
It is banal and, yes, petty and childish...but you can still see the gain they're going for; self aggrandizement, and a feeling of purpose and superiority. They need to be the Good Guys, that's the motive.
So there's definitely gain. It's not monetary, it's not exactly power (although you need power to push this on others), but it's just as important to them. It's building their very Self. It's their identity.
That is the petty and childishness I was talking about it. That is the most weak and teenage form of gain imaginable. That's talking about "finding yourself" as if that's a fucking thing that you can do.
Its a woman throwing away her 40 year marriage and family for a one night fling with a foreign dude. You can see the "gain" of it, but its still the type of gain only a hedonistic child would commit acts of evil for.
Even the Elites committing acts of truly massive evil is banal, simply because its often for money when they are already richer than they could ever spend.