Christine O'Donnell is a Witch!

[deekayfry]

I don't believe any man who ever lived was pure good or pure evil.  Solzhenitsyn once wrote that "the line between good and evil runs down the middle of every man's heart," and goes on to point out that through a man's life he may cross to one side or the other on many occasions; and that our sum judgment of any particular person is really a statement on which side of that line the person spent most of his or her time.

While my answer above was a touch trolllish, my point isn't.

It's not trollish.  It is an opinion.

Personally, I have absolutely no sympathy nor would I point out any simple niceties of a person who wantonly decimated many generations of people.

Hitler may have loved German children, but he had 1.5 million children incinerated.
He may have laughed and smiled, but there are hundreds of photos and videos of people who show utter despair, grief, and pain.

Again, it is a philosophical debate as to what a person has contained within herself or himself how much or how little good or evil they have.  Yet, philosophy is completely useless to those who suffered at Hitler's hands and at the hands of his regime.

By the way, Hitler was by no means the exclusive member of the Pure Evil Dictator club.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Personally, I have absolutely no sympathy nor would I point out any simple niceties of a person who wantonly decimated many generations of people.

I don't normally do so, but it's not pure evil if he has a good side too.

Hitler may have loved German children, but he had 1.5 million children incinerated.
He may have laughed and smiled, but there are hundreds of photos and videos of people who show utter despair, grief, and pain.

Yes, I'm well aware of these facts.  

Again, it is a philosophical debate as to what a person has contained within herself or himself how much or how little good or evil they have.  Yet, philosophy is completely useless to those who suffered at Hitler's hands and at the hands of his regime.

I don't see it so much philosophical as linguistic.  "Pure" has a specific meaning, and it isn't "mostly".

[Asmodean]

You know, no matter how outraged or pleased you might be at/with someone's actions, you still should, in the name of objectivity, try to see the big picture.

Thus, I'm with Thump on this Hitler issue, be it a linguistic or a philosophical one.

[pinkocommie]

I don't normally do so, but it's not pure evil if he has a good side too.

I think this is the crux of the pure evil/Hitler argument.  Or at least, when I think of "pure evil" I think of someone who is nothing but evil.  I don't personally believe in pure evil or pure good, and I think the fact that Hitler did have earnest love and compassion for some things in life is proof that he wasn't pure evil.  

Also, I don't know I Hitler is really the best example to use when discussing the possibility of pure evil anyway.  There is a bit of a difference between killing lots of people and being a witness to it versus killing that many people via military orders where you never actually see the corpses/starving prisoners/etc.  I'm not too clear on Hitler's personal involvement with his holocaust camps, but I've never heard any reports that Hitler himself was present and himself gassing people.  I think that it was probably pretty easy for a man like Hitler - delusional and egocentric as he was - to distance himself from the mass murders he ordered.  

I think a far more compelling argument for pure evil could be made with a man like Vlad Tepes, who not only ordered mass killings via a horribly torturous death of impalement, but was present for them and by some accounts delighted in the practice.

[deekayfry]

You know, no matter how outraged or pleased you might be at/with someone's actions, you still should, in the name of objectivity, try to see the big picture.

Thus, I'm with Thump on this Hitler issue, be it a linguistic or a philosophical one.

We can agree to disagree, then, right?  

[PoopShoot]

We are derailing the topic!!!    

O'Donnell, Hitler, I don't see teh derail.

[Martin TK]

And you apparently lost the attempt at humor with the whole approves this message...  :raised:

[Asmodean]

We are derailing the topic!!!    

[Thumpalumpacus]

You know, no matter how outraged or pleased you might be at/with someone's actions, you still should, in the name of objectivity, try to see the big picture.

Thus, I'm with Thump on this Hitler issue, be it a linguistic or a philosophical one.

We can agree to disagree, then, right?  

Very happy to agree to disagree, and sorry to spin out a trope. but I'm kinda anal about words and meanings and such, so yeah.  Hitler was a dick, but not as big a dick as my 9th grade PE coach.

[PoopShoot]

Really, a filthy pig?  Well thankfully, YOUR opinion of me isn't worth a whole lot.  

I don't have an opinion of you.  'Twas a sarcastic comment.

My wife gets the joke even if you don't which frankly, I don't give a damn if you do or don't.  Peace.

I did.  One bad joke deserves another.  Since the jokes were bad, I guess I win.

[Martin TK]

Really, a filthy pig?  Well thankfully, YOUR opinion of me isn't worth a whole lot.  

I don't have an opinion of you.  'Twas a sarcastic comment.

My wife gets the joke even if you don't which frankly, I don't give a damn if you do or don't.  Peace.

I did.  One bad joke deserves another.  Since the jokes were bad, I guess I win.

Sure you win, since you were apparently the only one "playing" since I don't recall directing my comments to anyone in particular.  Peace.

[Jats]

Jats will join in briefly seeing as someone mentioned Hitler then, and who was enjoying this thread tremendously, fascinated by the rise of The Tea Party, a glimpse of new beginnings for America...

Part of an eulogy from Adolf Hitler's maid reads 'he was a charming man, someone who was only ever nice to me, a great boss to work for. You can say what you like, but he was a good man to us' and well now I can forgive a few faults, a different point of view, but, as much say, as I like my next door neighbour, if I found out she had killed x million Jews (I'm not debating the numbers), it wouldn't matter to me at how charming, pleasant, attractive, or funny she was, if she was kind to her mum even, and wore sensible shoes, though it's clear some others would have different loyalties, maybe they are right, these loyal maids, and I am wrong, let bygones be bygones and all that, perhaps, maybe we should let Gary Glitter join the gang here, he was probably framed anyway, and didn't he sing such lovely songs..."

[Thumpalumpacus]

Jats will join in briefly seeing as someone mentioned Hitler then, and who was enjoying this thread tremendously, fascinated by the rise of The Tea Party, a glimpse of new beginnings for America...

Part of an eulogy from Adolf Hitler's maid reads 'he was a charming man, someone who was only ever nice to me, a great boss to work for. You can say what you like, but he was a good man to us' and well now I can forgive a few faults, a different point of view, but, as much say, as I like my next door neighbour, if I found out she had killed x million Jews (I'm not debating the numbers), it wouldn't matter to me at how charming, pleasant, attractive, or funny she was, if she was kind to her mum even, and wore sensible shoes, though it's clear some others would have different loyalties, maybe they are right, these loyal maids, and I am wrong, let bygones be bygones and all that, perhaps, maybe we should let Gary Glitter join the gang here, he was probably framed anyway, and didn't he sing such lovely songs..."

Yeah, I'm pretty sure no one here is arguing that Hitler is a good man, but thanks.

[PoopShoot]

Binary morality is so charming.

[Sophus]

Not to derail the derail,  Google exists?

It adds to the irony that this is the woman who said you should never ever lie even if Hitler's at the door and you're hiding Anne Frank in the attic. Don't lie to save a life, but go for it if it helps you get elected!