Why "moral bankruptcy" doesn't work

[quinnox]

In many movies and in popular culture, you will notice that the evil people don't think they are evil. The villains in these movies often have grand plans and in their eyes, the final goal will be beneficial to the world. This applies in real life too. Even Hitler and his followers didn't consider themselves as evil, they thought they were the good guys. So, even if someone is morally bankrupt, telling them that will do no good. Why would they even admit they were morally bankrupt in the first place?? (even if they really were) It doesn't compute, no human being will want to think to themselves, - "Ya know, I guess I really am morally bankrupt"

Agree?

[one_voice]

1. ......

[SidDithers]

2. And on it goes...

Sid

[DevonRex]

3. With glee, apparently.

Such nice people on DU.

[dionysus]

5. you, you, you morally bankrupt person, you! that's it.. LAUNCH TEH CRUSIE MISSELS!1!1

[one_voice]

6. With a Hitler reference...

for good measure!

[Union Scribe]

8. Maybe I'm misreading the OP

but it sounds like they're saying that both sides flinging around the phrase is pointless because no one is going to be convinced they're morally bankrupt.

[SidDithers]

11. Both sides aren't flinging around the phrase...nt

Sid

[Union Scribe]

13. Yes, they are. nt

[quinnox]

14. that is exactly what I'm saying

thank you

[one_voice]

15. This....

you will notice that the evil people don't think they are evil

The villains in these movies often have grand plans and in their eyes, the final goal will be beneficial to the world. This applies in real life too. Even Hitler and his followers didn't consider themselves as evil

Why would they even admit they were morally bankrupt

sounds like using "morally bankrupt" doesn't work because evil/morally bankrupt people aren't capable of seeing the evil--cuz well they're too busy being morally bankrupt. It has nothing to do with "both" sides doing it.

In other words, use a different description because morally bankrupt people are too morally bankrupt to know they are morally bankrupt--just like Hitler..see how that works.

[cyberswede]

4. I don't think sociopaths would have a problem

considering themselves morally bankrupt. They just wouldn't care. Ask Dick Cheney.

[pscot]

7. I'm guessing Cheney would tell you

he was doing the Lord's work.

[cyberswede]

12. nah - he'd tell me to go *f* myself

I don't believe for one minute that Cheney is a religious person - just a panderer.

[seabeyond]

9. no. there were a lot of social pressures that were wrong.

there were a lot of social pressures that were good. social pressures work on a society. as a whole, not individually. the trick is, to continue good social pressures and eliminate the harmful/bad social pressures.

one example is theft is wrong. but when you have all of society embracing theft one way or another from little to huge, the social pressure is no longer there and so regardless of who a person is can validate the theft, allowing a ripple effect feeding society that theft is ok.

[Democrats_win]

10. However, in a political world, people may take notice of moral bankruptcy as evil.

That's why America didn't vote for George W. Bush as our 43rd president. Oh wait....

We did know that his family brought us the S& L banking crisis. You know, the one where Neil Bush helped his cronies steal one billion from Silverado S&L. Information is always there, but people sometimes vote with their little brain if you know what I mean.