I think “the banality of evil” is an absolutely fantastic phrase from Hannah Arendt. I keep trying to explain to people that evil does not look like a man twirling his moustache while saying “Bwahahahaha” and then sending you to a dungeon. But it’s like I’m talking to a wall most of the time. There’s someone on Twitter who uses the phrase “talented TV watchers” or something like that. That’s really what so many have become. They like to grill in their backyards and watch TV and live circumscribed lives and cannot imagine how they could be contributing to anything awful and evil through continuing to watch TV and minding their own business and occasionally squawking out “It’s about saving lives!” They might play tennis or golf or go to a book club for spice! They can still do all these things; therefore, they reason, we are all free.
Dec 18, 2021
at
8:10 PM
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