All the rationalisation you'll ever need, ever and ever, for anything in politics or social sciences. (Except in economics, there it's "Yes, but they were communists" instead.
Usually followed with "X wasn't real 'X'!" and "We've learned from their mistakes".
I much prefer people like Alexander, Hannibal, Attila, Genghis Khan, Ragnar Lodbrok, Vlad Tepes, et c.
Killers, warmongers, looters and pillagers yes. Unashamedly so. No hipocrisy. No "it's for your own good, eventually, in the end when viewed on the grander scale".
Just plain honest "Do this or else".
Honesty means you can have trust, make deals and treaties. No honesty means no honour, no trust and no ethics at all.
"Yes, but they were nazis!"
All the rationalisation you'll ever need, ever and ever, for anything in politics or social sciences. (Except in economics, there it's "Yes, but they were communists" instead.
Usually followed with "X wasn't real 'X'!" and "We've learned from their mistakes".
I much prefer people like Alexander, Hannibal, Attila, Genghis Khan, Ragnar Lodbrok, Vlad Tepes, et c.
Killers, warmongers, looters and pillagers yes. Unashamedly so. No hipocrisy. No "it's for your own good, eventually, in the end when viewed on the grander scale".
Just plain honest "Do this or else".
Honesty means you can have trust, make deals and treaties. No honesty means no honour, no trust and no ethics at all.
One of these days, none of these epithets will carry any (more) water.
And then may God help us all.
A testament that slaves never rose above any level of self knowledge whatsoever. Dear Slaves: get over it; admit it; learn for god sakes.