Was Hitler as bad as some make him out to be?

[Gary Childress]

A post made a while back in another thread still has me thinking about it.

In my opinion, Hitler is NOT someone we ought to sympathize with. We really ought to steer clear of what happened in Nazi Germany. Why? Because there were "concentration" camps and Germany invaded many countries unprovoked. Hitler was Hillter and he was not good. Full stop. End of story. Can we move on now?

[Flannel Jesus]

Hitler was as bad as people make him out to be.

That doesn't mean there isn't any way to sympathise with the person. You can sympathise with a person, even if their values are all fucked up - in fact I think it's a good philosophical muscle to exercise, to see if you can extend your empathy and or sympathy to those who you "hate", to those you consider evil, to those who you might consider entirely unlike you in so many deep ways.

Exercise that muscle, exercise it with Hitler. But... still, at the end of the day, the shit he did with his power was atrocious... literally. I mean, they were literal atrocities, no need to forget that.

[Harbal]

A post made a while back in another thread still has me thinking about it.

In my opinion, Hitler is NOT someone we ought to sympathize with. We really ought to steer clear of what happened in Nazi Germany. Why? Because there were "concentration" camps and Germany invaded many countries unprovoked. Hitler was Hillter and he was not good. Full stop. End of story. Can we move on now?

Aren't you interested in what was going on in Hitler's head, and why? And how he was able to attract massive support, and get himself into such a position of power. Shouldn't we try to understand what happened in Nazi Germany, so we can recognise the signs of it happening again somewhere?

[Gary Childress]

Hitler was as bad as people make him out to be.

That doesn't mean there isn't any way to sympathise with the person. You can sympathise with a person, even if their values are all fucked up - in fact I think it's a good philosophical muscle to exercise, to see if you can extend your empathy and or sympathy to those who you "hate", to those you consider evil, to those who you might consider entirely unlike you in so many deep ways.

Exercise that muscle, exercise it with Hitler. But... still, at the end of the day, the shit he did with his power was atrocious... literally. I mean, they were literal atrocities, no need to forget that.

Sympathize with Hitler? Are you being serious?

[Gary Childress]

A post made a while back in another thread still has me thinking about it.

In my opinion, Hitler is NOT someone we ought to sympathize with. We really ought to steer clear of what happened in Nazi Germany. Why? Because there were "concentration" camps and Germany invaded many countries unprovoked. Hitler was Hillter and he was not good. Full stop. End of story. Can we move on now?

Aren't you interested in what was going on in Hitler's head, and why? And how he was able to attract massive support, and get himself into such a position of power. Shouldn't we try to understand what happened in Nazi Germany, so we can recognise the signs of it happening again somewhere?

Can't say I'm interested in those things. No.

[Flannel Jesus]

Hitler was as bad as people make him out to be.

That doesn't mean there isn't any way to sympathise with the person. You can sympathise with a person, even if their values are all fucked up - in fact I think it's a good philosophical muscle to exercise, to see if you can extend your empathy and or sympathy to those who you "hate", to those you consider evil, to those who you might consider entirely unlike you in so many deep ways.

Exercise that muscle, exercise it with Hitler. But... still, at the end of the day, the shit he did with his power was atrocious... literally. I mean, they were literal atrocities, no need to forget that.

Sympathize with Hitler? Are you being serious?

Exercise that muscle baby

Sympathize doesn't mean "agree with what they did or any of their ideas"

[Gary Childress]

Hitler was as bad as people make him out to be.

That doesn't mean there isn't any way to sympathise with the person. You can sympathise with a person, even if their values are all fucked up - in fact I think it's a good philosophical muscle to exercise, to see if you can extend your empathy and or sympathy to those who you "hate", to those you consider evil, to those who you might consider entirely unlike you in so many deep ways.

Exercise that muscle, exercise it with Hitler. But... still, at the end of the day, the shit he did with his power was atrocious... literally. I mean, they were literal atrocities, no need to forget that.

Sympathize with Hitler? Are you being serious?

Exercise that muscle baby

Sympathize doesn't mean "agree with what they did or any of their ideas"

I think if you look up the word sympathize, you'll find it pretty difficult to "sympathize" with Hitler. Do you sympathize with him?

[Gary Childress]

Hitler was as bad as people make him out to be.

That doesn't mean there isn't any way to sympathise with the person. You can sympathise with a person, even if their values are all fucked up - in fact I think it's a good philosophical muscle to exercise, to see if you can extend your empathy and or sympathy to those who you "hate", to those you consider evil, to those who you might consider entirely unlike you in so many deep ways.

Exercise that muscle, exercise it with Hitler. But... still, at the end of the day, the shit he did with his power was atrocious... literally. I mean, they were literal atrocities, no need to forget that.

Sympathize with Hitler? Are you being serious?

Exercise that muscle baby

Sounds like good advice for you. Stop harassing me with stupid shit.

[Alexis Jacobi]

Anyone here recite the Hitler, Eva & Blondie Prayer?

[Flannel Jesus]

Sounds like good advice for you. Stop harassing me with stupid shit.

Why is it stupid? You made the thread, surely the point of this thread is that my answer is a possible one. I don't see why it's stupid.

[Flannel Jesus]

One of the definitions of sympathise is

to feel sorry for someone who is in a bad situation

I don't see why it's impossible to feel bad for a bad person. I don't see why it's stupid either.

[Gary Childress]

Sounds like good advice for you. Stop harassing me with stupid shit.

Why is it stupid? You made the thread, surely the point of this thread is that my answer is a possible one. I don't see why it's stupid.

OK. So you were being serious. I'll tell you straight. Hitler is what I've been trained all my life to oppose, and avoid seeing or reading or emulating in any way. I don't have sympathy for him.

[Flannel Jesus]

I oppose Hitler too. Sympathy and opposition aren't mutually exclusive for me.

I oppose murderers, but I'm sure there are many murders who have led lives it would be hard not to feel sorry for.

If they're in prison, I'm sure they should stay there. They can have some sympathy anyway.

[Gary Childress]

I oppose Hitler too. Sympathy and opposition aren't mutually exclusive for me.

I oppose murderers, but I'm sure there are many murders who have led lives it would be hard not to feel sorry for.

If they're in prison, I'm sure they should stay there. They can have some sympathy anyway.

When I was going to school growing up, one of my philosophy professors, Thelma Lavine, basically stated in not uncertain terms in one of my classes with her that Hitler and Nazi Germany are the utmost examples of evil in our time and to be avoided. I can have sympathy for a person who murders someone out of anger one day in a bar and ends up on death row, at least enough to suggest that we not give such a person the death penalty for it. But Hitler is someone I consider unsympathizable.

[Flannel Jesus]

Your professor said to avoid Hitler? Well that's good advice, but also kinda unnecessary. He's been dead for a while now, you aren't gonna run into him at the grocery store