The kitchen guy that ketchups the overcooked steaks at Mar a Lago? The guy who changes donny's shit-filled diapers multiple times a day? Any of the power-hungry sociopaths that make up this asshole's entire circle of acquaintances?
While I agree with the broad strokes of what you're saying about empathy, it's important to remember that people like this (or if we're being generous, the people she was like until just now) see empathy from their adversaries as a weakness to be exploited.
One can be empathetic without being a naive chump. When anyone has caused the amount of harm MTG has, forgiveness comes only after they have atoned. If she puts half as much money and effort into repairing the damage she's done as she put into causing the damage in the first place, then and only then can we talk about letting bygones be bygones.
If that atonement never materializes (and call me a cynic but I doubt it will) then this is just the same old conservative playbook of "now that I've stomped all over other people to get what I want, it's time for togetherness".
Some West African frogs have been known to spontaneously change sex from male to female in a single sex environment. Malcolm was right. Life found a way.
For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much—the wheel, New York, wars and so on—whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man—for precisely the same reasons.
-- Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
And David Bowie for 10 days.
The kitchen guy that ketchups the overcooked steaks at Mar a Lago? The guy who changes donny's shit-filled diapers multiple times a day? Any of the power-hungry sociopaths that make up this asshole's entire circle of acquaintances?
Oh, you said "arrest". My bad.
The Internet has fried my brain. All I can think of when I hear the phrase "bad dude" is the old meme spoofing the intro to Bad Dudes for NES:
I think the character's just credited as "Mongol General", but yeah.
"Failing that, crushing your enemies, seeing them driven before you, and hearing the lamentations of their women is also fine I guess"
Username checks out.
While I agree with the broad strokes of what you're saying about empathy, it's important to remember that people like this (or if we're being generous, the people she was like until just now) see empathy from their adversaries as a weakness to be exploited.
One can be empathetic without being a naive chump. When anyone has caused the amount of harm MTG has, forgiveness comes only after they have atoned. If she puts half as much money and effort into repairing the damage she's done as she put into causing the damage in the first place, then and only then can we talk about letting bygones be bygones.
If that atonement never materializes (and call me a cynic but I doubt it will) then this is just the same old conservative playbook of "now that I've stomped all over other people to get what I want, it's time for togetherness".
-- Dr. Alan Grant, Jurassic Park
-- Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
"Because he puts an addictive chemical in his chicken that makes ya crave it fortnightly, smart arse!"