Poll: Is Trump evil?

[HomerJS]

Go to the top of the page, find the button that says "view results", click on it. There is the justification for my opinion.
To be accurate, it wasn't really an opinion, it was a prediction, actually a certainty. You get the idea.

TOP only shows the who and the what. Only those people can answer the why.

 

[HomerJS]

Just based on his history Trump is someone who would throw a puppy off a cliff or microwave a kitten for business or political advantage. Correction, he would hire someone to do it. Sounds like characteristics of evil.

Call it hyperbole if you want who knew any political candidate could survive criticizing a 5 year tortured POW just for being captured.

 

[glenn1]

A bard is a jack of all trades and has intimate knowledge that gives his party a buff against certain enemies.

Rogues act out of self-interest using deception.

Is a bard the same thing as a minstrel?

 

[Sonikku]

I think Trump is a very astute man. He was in Michigan taking in all the heartbreak and anger at the erosion of the kind of plentiful blue collar jobs that supported communities and got Americans into the middle class. He saw the heartbreak of those who's towns had been ravaged by the systematic dismantling of the middle class that no longer held opportunity, that saw parents' kids leaving for the big city due to the desolate wasteland of a future that otherwise awaited them in their crumbling jobless home towns.

Except instead of feeling compelled to help these people he saw succumbing to despair, he instead saw the avenue with which to leverage the downtrodden into working against their own interests for the sake of advancing his own. He blames the Chinese for stealing all the manufacturing and blue collar jobs when they weren't even stolen; they were freely given away by our own Corporate America.

Trump knows this. He isn't an idiot. He is Corporate America. Blaming China and blaming illegals helps to fixate the focus off of those most responsible. Misdirecting those most affected by the mass outsourcing of jobs with a false narrative helps to ensure the ruling class of which Donald himself is a part are well insulated from the consequences of their actions.

I don't even think he hates illegals with the raw passion he exudes in his speeches. It's all an act. Donald Trump was perfectly fine with employing illegals in his businesses right up until he was called out on his hypocrisy.

Trump cares nothing for the problems Americans face. I believe he understands these problems. He is acutely aware of them. If he had the will to really do something to help with these issues, he probably could. But he doesn't. He's made a conscious decision to exploit these hardships for his own gain and to enrich his own power while simultaneously billing himself as the champion of blue collar Americans. He is the exact opposite. And it is all so tragic. Because he could have been better. He could have been the very champion he purports himself to be, who he acts like he is. But he doesn't. I cannot imagine much that would be more repugnant.

He is evil. Perhaps a shade short of Dick Cheney's brand of evil, who pushed us to War for the sake of personal profit. But evil none the less.

 

[DrunkenSano]

I don't believe Trump to be evil. He is selfish, self serving, greedy, and stupid. To brand Trump as evil is to brand most of the CEOs and senior executives of large corporations as evil. They are all driven to make the largest profits for their shareholders despite those who get hurt in the process. I don't believe I can classify that as evil but just people who excel in the environment they are in.

 

[Jhhnn]

I think Trump is a very astute man. He was in Michigan taking in all the heartbreak and anger at the erosion of the kind of plentiful blue collar jobs that supported communities and got Americans into the middle class. He saw the heartbreak of those who's towns had been ravaged by the systematic dismantling of the middle class that no longer held opportunity, that saw parents' kids leaving for the big city due to the desolate wasteland of a future that otherwise awaited them in their crumbling jobless home towns.

Except instead of feeling compelled to help these people he saw succumbing to despair, he instead saw the avenue with which to leverage the downtrodden into working against their own interests for the sake of advancing his own. He blames the Chinese for stealing all the manufacturing and blue collar jobs when they weren't even stolen; they were freely given away by our own Corporate America.

Trump knows this. He isn't an idiot. He is Corporate America. Blaming China and blaming illegals helps to fixate the focus off of those most responsible. Misdirecting those most affected by the mass outsourcing of jobs with a false narrative helps to ensure the ruling class of which Donald himself is a part are well insulated from the consequences of their actions.

I don't even think he hates illegals with the raw passion he exudes in his speeches. It's all an act. Donald Trump was perfectly fine with employing illegals in his businesses right up until he was called out on his hypocrisy.

Trump cares nothing for the problems Americans face. I believe he understands these problems. He is acutely aware of them. If he had the will to really do something to help with these issues, he probably could. But he doesn't. He's made a conscious decision to exploit these hardships for his own gain and to enrich his own power while simultaneously billing himself as the champion of blue collar Americans. He is the exact opposite. And it is all so tragic. Because he could have been better. He could have been the very champion he purports himself to be, who he acts like he is. But he doesn't. I cannot imagine much that would be more repugnant.

He is evil. Perhaps a shade short of Dick Cheney's brand of evil, who pushed us to War for the sake of personal profit. But evil none the less.

Very astute. Thank You.

 

[pmv]

This is politics & news, surely, not philosophy & metaphysics?

Does a choice of label make any difference?

Trump serves his self-interest, and that of others like him. It's not my self-interest and I don't believe it is that of the majority.

 

[blankslate]

I think Trump is a very astute man.

I would use the word cunning as astute suggests a foresight which would have seen him choose to at least do the bare minimum to help those in economic hardships that he peeled from "firewall" states.

Otherwise I very much agree with your statements about his ability to recognize the causes of the economic pain and the resultant desire for a populist (which Trump was very able to pretend to be) in 2016 which made 2016 rather once in a blue moon election.
One could also draw from that the fact that it wasn't only Trump but the failings of people who had to opportunity to oppose him directly to see what he was doing or just fail to effectively oppose it due to "prior commitments".... which have created the "perfect shitstorm" to allow him to win the Electoral College" count

As for is he evil.
I'm leaning that way. I don't consider him "evil genius level" but cunning and lazy enough in a way that he is prone to choose the easy path which hurts others. I don't consider him smart and wonder if his unhealthy lifestyle and age has impaired his cognitive ability in some ways.

I'm almost there. I want to see how he reacts to the verdict on the Navy Seal who is accused of murder and committing a War Crime.
And if he implements any change in immigration policy in light of recent deaths of undocumented immigrants (he's already failing there).

The above examples should be plain enough to see even a person who is dumb would recognize that pardoning the Seal and permitting the policies that lead to horrid conditions of people detained at the border to continue are acts of evil.



______________________

 

[Sonikku]

I don't believe Trump to be evil. He is selfish, self serving, greedy, and stupid. To brand Trump as evil is to brand most of the CEOs and senior executives of large corporations as evil. They are all driven to make the largest profits for their shareholders despite those who get hurt in the process. I don't believe I can classify that as evil but just people who excel in the environment they are in.

Except businesses sole purpose is to make profit. That is not the purpose of a politician. And if you use such an institution solely for that sake, then you're doing it wrong.

 

[HomerJS]

I would use the word cunning as astute suggests a foresight which would have seen him choose to at least do the bare minimum to help those in economic hardships that he peeled from "firewall" states.

Otherwise I very much agree with your statements about his ability to recognize the causes of the economic pain and the resultant desire for a populist (which Trump was very able to pretend to be) in 2016 which made 2016 rather once in a blue moon election.
One could also draw from that the fact that it wasn't only Trump but the failings of people who had to opportunity to oppose him directly to see what he was doing or just fail to effectively oppose it due to "prior commitments".... which have created the "perfect shitstorm" to allow him to win the Electoral College" count

As for is he evil.
I'm leaning that way. I don't consider him "evil genius level" but cunning and lazy enough in a way that he is prone to choose the easy path which hurts others. I don't consider him smart and wonder if his unhealthy lifestyle and age has impaired his cognitive ability in some ways.

I'm almost there. I want to see how he reacts to the verdict on the Navy Seal who is accused of murder and committing a War Crime.
And if he implements any change in immigration policy in light of recent deaths of undocumented immigrants (he's already failing there).

The above examples should be plain enough to see even a person who is dumb would recognize that pardoning the Seal and permitting the policies that lead to horrid conditions of people detained at the border to continue are acts of evil.



______________________

I would think his reactions to Otto Warmbeir and Jamal Khashoggi would be enough.

 

[blankslate]

I would think his reactions to Otto Warmbeir and Jamal Khashoggi would be enough.

I am perhaps too reluctant to describe a person as evil.


______________

 

[UglyCasanova]

Keeping this simple. Here is the dictionary definition of evil. Judge for yourself based on the definition. Some people will call this silly but IMO Trump fits 90% of these descriptors.

He’s not evil hes

1. Not a politician so the crap he does seems very out of place for he position he’s in
2. You disagree with his policies so look for ways to demonize him as an attack on those policies
3. He is massively in your head

 

[HomerJS]

He’s not evil hes

1. Not a politician so the crap he does seems very out of place for he position he’s in
2. You disagree with his policies so look for ways to demonize him as an attack on those policies
3. He is massively in your head

I just asked you to honestly compare his characteristics to the definition of evil. Absent the "supernatural" stuff the rest fits him to a tee.

Anyone who is characterized as evil would be out of place in his position. I'm not talking about policy disputes. Half of his criticism would go away he he just acted like a decent person.

Show your work, which one of those definitions is NOT Trump??

 

[DrunkenSano]

Except businesses sole purpose is to make profit. That is not the purpose of a politician. And if you use such an institution solely for that sake, then you're doing it wrong.

I would disagree that business and politics are separate. As long as a court of law does not find the person guilty, business and politics have mixed. Trump is not the first and he will not be the last, it's just that Trump has been the dumbest to step into the realm so everything is blatantly obvious and in the open. But business has absolutely mixed and pulled the strings in politics to make money. Look at all the lobbying, big pharma, the wars that have been fought for the sake of making money from the war machine.

 

[pmv]

Just based on his history Trump is someone who would throw a puppy off a cliff or microwave a kitten for business or political advantage. Correction, he would hire someone to do it. Sounds like characteristics of evil.

Call it hyperbole if you want who knew any political candidate could survive criticizing a 5 year tortured POW just for being captured.

Sometimes I feel I'm just not sure what the word means, really. Your puppy definition just seems to end up being rather circular. He throws the puppy because he's evil and he's evil because he throws the puppy.

He's the enemy, I figure that's all that really matters.

 

[Jhhnn]

He’s not evil hes

1. Not a politician so the crap he does seems very out of place for he position he’s in
2. You disagree with his policies so look for ways to demonize him as an attack on those policies
3. He is massively in your head

Of course Trump is evil. The one characteristic of the Devil shared in all religions is that the Devil is a deceiver, a con artist. He never makes a square deal, and neither does Trump. This should be the theme song for Trump's re-election campaign-

 

[soulcougher73]

Id say so as he doesnt care about facts, only his made up mind regardless who or what it harms.

 

[Victorian Gray]

He’s not evil hes

1. Not a politician so the crap he does seems very out of place for he position he’s in
2. You disagree with his policies so look for ways to demonize him as an attack on those policies
3. He is massively in your head

Someone else who wants their silver shirt.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Cunning != intelligent

Sorry disagree. Doesn't matter your argument does not hold up as there's a lot of evidence of stupid people being consciously evil. Stupidity does not disallow someone being evil.

 

[darkswordsman17]

I don't believe Trump to be evil. He is selfish, self serving, greedy, and stupid. To brand Trump as evil is to brand most of the CEOs and senior executives of large corporations as evil. They are all driven to make the largest profits for their shareholders despite those who get hurt in the process. I don't believe I can classify that as evil but just people who excel in the environment they are in.

So greed isn't evil? Because that sure as shit sounds explicitly like evil. Doesn't matter what your (the evil person) bullshit reason for committing the evil acts are. Not only that, but I find it difficult to label him just as evil as those others as he's openly aware of it and gloats about it (meaning, its not simply him seeking the most, he actively enjoys people being aware of his bad actions; most of those other CEOs do not do that shit, or if they do they don't do it publicly like Turmp). Which even if you just believe his overriding motivation is greed, I don't know how you can ignore the litany of other evils he's partaken in. Have you seriously not listened to him? He's openly discussed his desire to have people who just disagree with or that merely report about him be silenced through violence and murder. And he's gloated about stuff that I'd consider evil that he clearly understands is not acceptable behavior and he doesn't care and takes pleasure in gloating about it. That's consciously evil. For fuck's sake he said he could shoot someone on the street in front of his building in NYC and people would cheer him on for it. He's very aware of what constitutes evil and openly talks about evil acts. He then laughs when people go "WTF?!?" and then he just spouts some bullshit to get people to stop calling him out over it.

 

[darkswordsman17]

I would disagree that business and politics are separate. As long as a court of law does not find the person guilty, business and politics have mixed. Trump is not the first and he will not be the last, it's just that Trump has been the dumbest to step into the realm so everything is blatantly obvious and in the open. But business has absolutely mixed and pulled the strings in politics to make money. Look at all the lobbying, big pharma, the wars that have been fought for the sake of making money from the war machine.

No clue what your point is on most of that. What the fuck does a court of law saying someone is guilty or not have to do with there being a difference between politics and business? Yeah, no shit, there's always been business interests in politics. How does that somehow make Turmp not evil? WTF? Not only that but no clue why you're giving a free pass on greed in the first place. Greed absolutely is evil. Obviously there's difference in severity, as its animal nature to be at least somewhat greedy for yourself as its a basic survival instinct. If you can't see how Turmp's greed is full blown evil then I don't even know what to say. And yes lots of other CEOs are evil too (and many of them are full on psychopaths).

You call it stupidity. I call it fucking evil. That's what evil people do. Seriously look into shit like serial killers, they often want people to know about their misdeeds. Same with many other evil acts. Same shit with Turmp. They know its evil and they want you to know they did it and are getting away with it until they finally don't get away with it any more. Then they just lie out their asses and throw out every excuse they can. Same with how Turmp acts when he gloats about something that makes even people on his side go WTF. Then he lies and makes excuses while often going back to making the original fucked up claim/statement, showing he absolutely full on feels the way he originally said, but he's just trying to get people to stop holding him accountable for it.

This is not a mentally handicapped person harming someone because they don't fully understand the ramifications of their actions. Turmp is often very aware of his actions and takes pleasure in bragging about them. His compulsion to do that outstrips his awareness, but that's something we see with serial offenders. They keep getting away with it for so long (or maybe don't but by the time they face serious consequences for it its become something they can't control) that they really do feel they can get away with anything. So its not stupidity. His lack of concern for the negative impacts is not ignorance either, he's often aware of it, its more that he simply doesn't fucking care because he is also so self absorbed that he only cares when it has a negative impact on him.

Now, does he commit acts that will negatively impact people (including him even at times) because he's stupid and/or willfully ignorant? Absolutely. But that's not the only behavior he exhibits. He can be both stupid and evil. Not all of his evil acts comes from stupidity, and not all of his stupid actions are because he's evil. There's a mix of all 3, which is why I said he's evil in multiple ways. He's knowingly evil (where he understands its evil), he's subconsciously evil (meaning its just his nature, he's not actively thinking or aware of his behavior being evil; which over time because of his privileged upbringing often makes things that other people would learn is evil but he would get away with so he'd never learn it as being negative and over enough time without any consequence turns into subconscious evil because its become just natural to them to act like that and not face consequence for it), and he's also just naively evil (meaning he doesn't understand how his action leads to evil).

I'd also say he exhibits psychopathic behavior in that he'll try and trash other people for committing the same thing he's done, because he's able to compartmentalize his behavior (hell half the time I think he just learned from others that its considered bad and not that he views it as bad, which is why he then will later do the same thing and not feel like it was bad when he did it). That doesn't make it less evil, and in fact it makes him more able to commit evil. And sure you can say that's part of his nature, and plenty of times his behavior is borne out of stupidity and ignorance, but even considering both of those, we often see evidence that he fully knows how bad his behavior is (like his prepared press meeting after his tantrum and storm out of the meeting with the Democratic leaders; where we saw all 3, its his nature to act like that, he's an idiot for thinking it wasn't obvious that he intended to do that by having the press prepared for shortly after the meeting started, and yet he clearly was aware that his behavior was shitty, so he planned ahead to immediately try to dictate the narrative; he doesn't always act that way, as yes there are times when he doesn't get something he wants so he lashes out in a stupid manner so it isn't always conscious behavior).

 

[UberNeuman]

Is intentionally working to harm people evil? With the GOP and Trump, the answer is yes. The countless attempts to kill ACA without a replacement is a prime example, among many others. It's all about hurting the "right" people with them.

 

[dawp]

I voted no only because he's a moron and too stupid to be evil.

I think to be truly evil you have to have intent and with trump it's more bumbling than actual intent

now steve miller on the other hand and some others in the admin.....

 

[IronWing]

Someone else who wants their silver shirt.

I finally got around to looking up the silver shirt reference. Those guys wore a big, red L!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Legion_of_America

 

[Indus]

Is grabbing someone by the pussy evil or not?

I rest my case.