Communal Pity
People in Europe [America] clearly know
what Socrates claimed not to know,
and what that famous old snake once promised to teach,
– people these days “know”
what is good and evil.
Now it must sound harsh
and strike the ear quite badly
when we keep insisting on the following point:
what it is that claims to know here,
what glorifies itself
with its praise and reproach
and calls itself good
is the instinct of the herd animal man,
which has come to the fore,
gaining and continuing to gain
predominance and supremacy over the other instincts,
Morality in Europe [America] these days
is the morality of herd animals:
… it stubbornly and ruthlessly declares
“I am morality itself and nothing else is moral!”
And in fact, with the aid of a religion
that indulged and flattered the loftiest herd desires,
things have reached the point
where this morality is increasingly
apparent in even political and social institutions.
…they are united in their faith
in the morality of communal pity,
as if it were morality in itself,
the height, the achieved height of humanity,
the sole hope for the future, the solace of the present,
the great redemption of all guilt from the past:
– they are all united in their faith
in the community as Redeemer,
which is to say:
in the herd,
in “themselves”. . .
Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche, trans. by Judith Butler, aphorism 201
Last week, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson delivered a fiery sermon at Lake Church in White Lake. He declared that “some folks need killing,” sparking widespread outrage.
This event was part of “God and Country Sunday,” showcasing the intersection of politics and religion in Robinson’s campaign.
According to MSNBC, Robinson compared his perceived enemies on the American left to Nazis, stating, “We didn’t argue and capitulate … No, they’re bad. Kill them.”
This stark comparison highlights his extremist views and willingness to invoke violent imagery. Robinson’s rhetoric marks a dangerous escalation in political discourse.
While Robinson did not specify who exactly “needs killing,” he referred to “wicked people doing wicked things.” His speech implied a broad spectrum of leftist foes, warning about those advancing “the tenets of socialism and communism.”
This vagueness leaves room for plenty of interpretation, raising concerns about potential violence against various groups.
Cameron McGill, the pastor of Lake Church, defended Robinson’s remarks, claiming he referred to those seeking to harm Christians.
McGill’s support shows the troubling alliance between certain religious leaders and extremist political figures. This defense highlights the normalization of violent rhetoric in some religious communities.
3 thoughts on “Communal Pity”
Sure, some people “need killing” to preserve peace and free exercise of life for the rest of us. It has been written that most people keep a secret “better dead” list in their heads. Trouble is, there’s rarely much unanimity about who should be on it.
Robinson is a perfect illustration of why we have a legal system that judges proven antisocial behavior against written standards of criminality, rather than depending on someone in power who points and declares “He’s bad!” It’s really disturbing when folks in our blessedly secular system of government demonstrate so plainly that they don’t understand the principles of impartiality and proof that make the system function so well when it’s allowed to work as designed.
Thanks to both Jerry and Nancy for well stated thoughts regarding the potential for politically motivated violence in this country as fomented by those elected to uphold our Constitution (remember the Constitution?)
In considering the words of Mark Robinson, at first blush it’s difficult to imagine any of our right wing acquaintances taking up arms against those who do not proclaim fealty to the almighty leader. On the other hand, I’m sure that the Jews in Berlin, who were on friendly terms with others on their street, could hardly fathom being outed to the SS by those same friendly neighbors. Many of those outed Jews were rounded up and shot point blank in the streets and left for those same people to step over and walk around.
We know the human capacity for cruelty and cultish behavior and yet we somehow find it difficult to conceive of how this might happen in our own time, in our own country, and on our own block. But it can. The rise of Hitler was a mere 90 years ago, a blip in the greater scheme of things. Don’t be fooled by the seeming age of black & white imagery of the Nuremberg rallies, that make those events seem ancient. Those in Germany at the time believed it could never happen in their country, but it did. We must remain wary and present to the possibility of history repeating itself, right here in our own backyard.
Clearly stated. Thanks. Why play the fool by taking a “wait an see” posture?