> What you call “redeeming” traits, can not be called redeeming in the way that Hitler used them.
Agreed. He used his talents to the furtherance of Evil.
So can anyone.
It is a mistake for us to paint Hitler as absolutely evil, as if we should be able to identify him as Evil on first sight. To do so is a gross over-simplification. Evil people do not come ready-equipped with horns and a pointy tail. And good people can be tricked into supporting Evil people as a result.
Hitler was charismatic. He had natural charm, and he is reported to have had a soft spot for children and animals. He could be very convincing.
He was definitely a complex character.
None of what I have just said subtracts from the fact that Hitler was an evil man — thoroughly evil. And none of it should be taken as an endorsement or as support of Hitler as a person.
He’s just considerably more complicated than simply “Evil”.
The same sorts of people who voted for Hitler would have been just as likely to vote for...?
(I’m not going to say it, you can fill in the blanks for yourself.)
*That* is the real danger of over-simplifying Evil: we cannot spot the real thing when it presents itself if we expect it to be obviously Evil.
*That* is the real danger of over-simplifying Evil: we cannot spot the real thing when it presents itself if we expect it to be obviously Evil.
When you decide which one of these diametrically opposed premises is the true one let us know. lol
My point was that we couldn't judge Hitler's soft spot for children and animals as good. He may have been a pedophile since the Hitler Youth and the Brownshirts were rife with homosexuals and the Hitler Youth was the recruiting grounds for Roehm and his soldiers. The only children he had a soft spot for were blond and blue-eyed kids anyway.
Also, the Hidden Hitler documents Hitler's twisted nature as does other books like the Pink Swastika. I would hate to speculate why he liked dogs. I don't think we need to classify Hitler as absolutely evil, but I would never try to ascribe "good" to any of his actions when we do not know what was in his heart.
As to judging others, we should always observe the actions and family life of a person. His early life determines his character in so many ways and a person who has a father who deserted him as an infant has some major issues with self esteem, esp. with a fellow traveler mother who proceeds to dump her kid on relatives. Desertion by both parents is extremely detrimental to a child. Other clues to character are his acquaintances, mentors and friends. If they are evil, he is too. It is pretty easy to figure out.