It’s a tough question. If you’re unfamiliar with the reference, take some time out. I’ll wait. Meanwhile, I’ll leave this here for interim consderation:
Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.–Napoleon Bonaparte (ascribed)
There is such a thing as human evil. I’ll allow no argument on that point, because any argument otherwise is simply either stupid* or evil. Period. So, accept as axiomatic that human evil exists. Is it then stupid or evil to look human evil in the face and see good? (I’ll allow a third option: insanity.)
Examples abound:
Idiots who defend Islam as a “religion of peace”. Stupidity or witting enabling of the evil hate cult of Islam?
People who assert that America is an unjust society, because we have people they class as poor? Evil or stupid? Consider this:
Ahhh, I’m tired of this already, and my BP is starting to climb… *sigh*
So, are those who are enablers of the hate cult of the Butcher of Medina evil or stupid (or both–likely, IMO)?
Are those who seem to be actively attempting to destroy our society via such activities as encouraging the kleptocratic “gimme” culture evil or stupid (or both–likely, IMO)?
And when do we stop ascribing destructive behaviors to stupidity alone and start calling it malice?
Yes, I aborted a bunch of stupid/evil material ranging from “pro-choice” (which is really, “Deny ANY choice to the unborn”), “Edumacation”, the Thugs Standing Around program of full employment for goons and petty tyrants, and “feddle gummint” tyrannical meddling in citizens’ lives while actively enabling outlaws to The Cult of Anthropogenic Climate Scare-ism and numerous points in between. One can select any issue dominated by the lies of the Mass MEdia Podpeople Hivemind, politicians *gag-spew* and Academia Nut Fruitcakes and plug it right into the “Stupid or Evil” matrix for consideration.
*I include in my use of “stupid” acts of witting, deliberate avoidance of facts. Witting, deliberate distortion of facts is evil–slander against truth.
I used to think it was stupidity, and to an extent, I still do. Mostly where the gullible just spit out a talking point, and can’t be bothered to look up the context.
But more and more there is design, and that can only come from malice.
Sadly, I have come to that point of view more and more recently. The person I saw on a “click-through” pass by Fox News channel the other day blaming the S&P downgrade on “the [sic] Tea Party” was one such. S&P specifically cited as a primary reason for the downgrade EXATLY what various (almost unanimously) TEA Party groups have ALL called for: reining in entitlements, stopping–and reversing–the growth of “feddle gummint” spending, etc. So, how is it that since TEA Party people have called on a government UNWILLING to do anything about these issues the CAUSE of those issues?
Obviously, the speaker knew he was spewing lies.
I quickly moved on, once I heard the Fox talking head latch on to the (irrelevant) “bi-partisan” angle, absent any reference to the things S&P noted needed bi-partisan action. Useless twit.