61–70 of 111 posts
> If Peep Show has any sort of singular thematic message, it’s that low self-esteem is the root of all evil. Interestingly this is a similar conclusion that the Unabomber came to in Industrial Society and its Future : https://web.cs.ucdavis.edu/~rogaway/classes/188/materials/In... Kaczynski called out low self-esteem as one of several foundational components in the psychology of his hated enemies (“leftists”), whom h…
My takeaway from Eichmann was not that Eichmann _wasn't_ a horrible person. It's very clear that he is horrible, that he had full knowledge of what he was doing. Her characterization of him was actually comical. Totally irreverent of the man. (and, made the book quite a fun read)
But I think Eichmann made a deeper point. "Banality" described his self-conception. The way his place in society was created for him, and the way he used it, not even to justify and rationalize his actions, but to simply allow himself to work without thinking towards the evil that transpired. The way that Nazi society created a mechanism by which he could, by default and without effort, continue working, in spite of obvious evidence of cruelty. In fact, seeing the gas vans up close was disturbing to Eichmann, as it would be to anyone.
She generalized the mechanism beyond the Nazis (the controversy of the book was that it pointed out how closely the Jews of Europe assisted Eichmann with his work).
It is these "default", "without effort" positions that we take, in all of our daily lives, that ultimately are evil. Although Eichmann was a particularly stupid and egregious example, we all have little sayings that we say to ourselves that allow us to ignore the cruelty and evil that happens in front of our face as a result of the structures we find ourselves in.
And therefore: that it is our moral duty to see what's in front of us and reject wherever possible the "default" or "passive" position. Eichmann was notable because of his utter inability to do that. Nothing more. So, I think I disagree with the author, the root of evil is cowardice.
Would love to have a look at that show based on that description. Alas, as is the way in 2025, no streaming services here have it, looking for it on Amazon was not helpful either (and offered some embarrassing suggestions instead).
https://www.reddit.com/r/Piracy/wiki/megathread/movies_and_t...
This article really makes sense. I think back on my past and all the evil actions I have taken have all been fed by very low self-worth and insecurity. When you think of yourself as below everyone else, trying to bring them down to your level with malicious acts can feel like quite reasonable. You're "punching up" so you can feel a sense of righteous justification. It's only looking back that I realize I wasn't nearl…
Another TV show that played with this concept well is "30 Rocks", with the main protagonist dreading to go to her high school reunion because she was a nerdy girl mocked by the high-school bully, As the episode go on, she realize that she was the bully, everyone was terrified of her and her extremely cruel remarks, including her friend who was afraid of her, turning the whole 'underdog nerd' trope on it's head. On a…
I place it in the category of “cringe humor,” and by that standard it’s more cringey than Seinfeld and curb - especially because of the first person shots. It is a great show! Well worth a watch.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Another TV show that played with this concept well is "30 Rocks", with the main protagonist dreading to go to her high school reunion because she was a nerdy girl mocked by the high-school bully, As the episode go on, she realize that she was the bully, everyone was terrified of her and her extremely cruel remarks, including her friend who was afraid of her, turning the whole 'underdog nerd' trope on it's head. On a…
I wish the show were called "30 Rocks" now, and was about gemstones.
Would love to have a look at that show based on that description. Alas, as is the way in 2025, no streaming services here have it, looking for it on Amazon was not helpful either (and offered some embarrassing suggestions instead).
> If Peep Show has any sort of singular thematic message, it’s that low self-esteem is the root of all evil. Interestingly this is a similar conclusion that the Unabomber came to in Industrial Society and its Future : https://web.cs.ucdavis.edu/~rogaway/classes/188/materials/In... Kaczynski called out low self-esteem as one of several foundational components in the psychology of his hated enemies (“leftists”), whom h…