what are the social psychological processes that grease the slippery slope of evil-
psychology is not excusiology. understanding is not excusing. nothing is easier to denounc the evil-doer, nothing more difficult than understanding him
- mindlessly taking the first small step[bullying,prejudice,violence is a disease, public health model not individual]
- dehumanization of others[cleaning toilets, humiliation, degrading fellatio]]
- deindividualization of self[numbering]
- diffusion of personal responsibility
- blind obedience of authority
- uncritical confirmity to group norms
- passive tolerance to evil through inaction/indifference
- new/unfamiliar situation
- habitual response patterns don’t work
- personality,morality are disengaged
- anonimity in uniforms/masks
ordinary day to day heroism is the antidote to evil. heroic imagination is waiting for the right situation to come along in action. to be a hero you have to be deviant because you are going against the confirmity of the soceity.
you are going to act when others are passive
you have to act socio centrically not egocentrically
so one day you will be in a new situation with choices of being a perpetuator of evil / guilty of passive inaction / you become a hero. it may happen only once in your life, and when you pass it by you will always know, i could have been a hero and i let it pass me by.
