Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by Coffeewine 170 days ago
I think this sums it up pretty well.

"When I am weaker than you, I ask you for freedom because that is according to your principles; when I am stronger than you, I take away your freedom because that is according to my principles,"

3 comments

That’s exactly right.
Yeah, except there aren't even principles at play here. For example, streamline all regulatory approvals, oh except for disfavored groups: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/12/speed-act-passes...
It’s just pure reaction. Liberals favor renewable energy, so MAGA opposes it. Liberals favor climate science, so MAGA opposes it.
The principles are difficult for you to detect because your values are things like truth or integrity. Their values are just about forming hierarchy.
This is of course the standard human view of our ingroup vs our outgroup.

The MAGA people, believe it or not, say very similar things about you.

I’m sure they do. But you can see the results of the current administration here.
They are lying.

It's a problem how many people seemingly have broken lie detectors these days. I blame social media for this one: far too easy to find a truthy bubble that validates your beliefs.

They say much worse things about me! Donald Trump, the leader of the MAGA people, released a Christmas greeting calling me scum (https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/1157772703684...) - I've never done that and would never do that to even my worst political opponents. I don't understand why people persist in drawing this false equivalence. Are you in a media bubble where you don't see the things Trump says and does?
That is very much in line with their principles. A more accurate quote for them is

"For my friends, everything; for my enemies, the law."

"Rules for thee but not for me."
They're not the first with this line of thinking.

> When our enemies say: well, we gave you the freedom of opinion back then - yeah, you gave it to us, that's in no way evidence that we should return the favor! Your stupidity shall not be contagious! That you granted it to us is evidence of how dumb you are!

-- Joseph Goebbels, 1935