Going Rogue: Faces of Morality
#2: The Vigilante's Manifesto
Realpolitik.
Realpolitik is a German word. It means realism in politics. It's associated with a lot of things, like an emphasis on military force. This is similar to diplomacy, except it involves men with a different kind of suit and briefcases that tend to explode.
Realpolitik is a fancy word. However, the basic idea isn't hard to understand. It means being realistic about things, instead of trying to delude yourself. That's all it means. You don't need a degree in political science to grasp the concept. See? I've just saved you a great deal on college tuition.
The trouble is this: idealism is seductive. It's easy to put your faith in human nature. Something inside us wants to believe. We want to believe that people are essentially good inside. We want to believe there's justice. We want to believe there's equality.
With all that idealism, it's hard to be realistic. It gets in the way.
Here's the truth: nobody's perfect. Yes, nobility and selflessness exist. But at the same time, everyone has the impulse to lie, cheat and steal. Everyone has greed. Everyone has ambition. Everyone wants to get ahead in life, usually at the expense of someone else. There's no ladder to greatness, there's just bodies with stab wounds in the back. Pile up enough of them, and you can climb to great heights.
If you dig deep enough into every philosophy and religion on the planet, that's what you'll find. Everything starts from the basic assumption that people...are flawed. All that differs is where we go from there. Some people can rise above these base impulses and be decent individuals. Others will betray you the first chance they get. Or the second chance they get. Or the third chance. But it'll happen eventually.
You can't assume that everyone will be good. Statistically speaking, that's not going to happen. Yes, you can think the best of everyone, but that's dangerous thinking. It's the sort of optimism that'll get you killed. Or robbed. Or raped. Pick one. Take your time, there's no need to hurry. Your ultimate fate is an important decision.
Society can't function only on trust. There needs to be something more. That's why we have laws. Laws tell people that if they misbehave, there will be punishment. Laws assume that people will commit atrocities if left to their own devices. Laws assume that people need the threat of force to keep them in place. Between the carrot and the stick, the stick is always more effective. Especially if it's been sharpened.
That's what it comes down to. The only way to ensure peace and security is the threat of force.
However, this is an inherently flawed system. To wield force, you need power. But power is a zero-sum game. If I have power, it means you don't have it. For me to have power over you, I must be stronger. We cannot be equal. My power comes at the expense of yours. There's no such thing as true balance of power. It's more like a see-saw. In general, it helps if you think of the world as a children's playground - complete with the bully who's stealing your lunch money.
This goes against liberal notions most people have about egalitarian distribution. But let's go back to realism. Let's be realistic. People aren't equal. People never are. There's always going to be someone who's richer, someone who's stronger. It's fine to claim that in principle you're equal, but in practical terms...no, you're not.
Crying about it isn't going to change that fact.
The only way to approach something akin to equality is to put all power in the hands of the state, and place it over everyone. That means all the people are equal to each other, and only the government has coercive power. Only the government can wield threats of force. But this isn't real equality. You're just shifting the power dynamics. Now it's the government who has all the power, and you, the individual, have none.
If you don't see the issue with this, then I can't help you.
The other problem is: this doesn't work. It never works. Because no system is perfect. It relies on people. Corrupt people. In an authoritarian state, the government may have all the power. But the government is an abstract entity. In practice, you have people - party officials, police, military rulers, dictators, who actually wield that power. So you're back to the problem of some people having more power than others. And using it on others.
Ask the Russians about it sometime. I'm sure they'll have interesting answers.
In a democracy, there isn't complete surrendering of power. People retain their own power. Money. Weapons. All that isn't given up. In fact, the possession of private property and individual rights are protected by the state. So that just legitimises inequality and uneven distributions of power. It doesn't solve the problem.
Again, let's be realistic. No matter what system we try to impose, it's never going to be equal. That's why idealism is such a dangerous delusion. Of course, people like being deluded. Maybe we're just a masochistic species...because someday, the bubble always pops.
In the end, even a government and police can't protect you from harm. They can provide some measure of assurance, yes, but they cannot guarantee that you won't be robbed or murdered. They can't do that. In principle, no criminal should be able to wield force, because only the police do. In practice, of course criminals have power. Because criminals refuse to surrender that power to the government. That's why they're criminals. That's sort of the point.
If criminals were nice and polite, we wouldn't be having this conversation. And I'd be running a corner grocery store and selling ice-cream to kids rather than shooting people in the head.
So. You have two choices. Either you can put faith in some higher authority, which may or may not exist...or you can wield power of your own. That's what it comes down to.
But if you choose to play the power game, you need to play it all the way. Power means you do what's necessary. Power means you do what needs to be done. It's not enough that you have power. You must be willing to use it. Otherwise it's useless.
Now, this is a dangerous argument too. It's why the authorities condemn people like me, after all. Ordinary citizens aren't supposed to take the law into their own hands. However, if you had a choice between taking action...or just standing by...which would you choose? Too many choose to be sheep. Because society condemns taking power for yourself.
Yet...there's no shame in this. There shouldn't be. The fact that these realities make most people uncomfortable just shows how much we lie to ourselves.
The interesting thing here is - superheroes don't necessarily change the paradigm. Yes, superheroes are individuals with power. But most superheroes support the status quo. Most superheroes support the authorities. They work with the police. They are part of the system. Consider the most prominent hero of them all. He calls himself Statesman. He's named himself after a politician. What does that mean? What does that suggest to you?
He calls himself Statesman. He is a hero.
My name is Realpolitik. I am a vigilante.
I hope you understand why.
NEXT: VILLAIN
-- Acyl
#2: The Vigilante's Manifesto
Realpolitik.
Realpolitik is a German word. It means realism in politics. It's associated with a lot of things, like an emphasis on military force. This is similar to diplomacy, except it involves men with a different kind of suit and briefcases that tend to explode.
Realpolitik is a fancy word. However, the basic idea isn't hard to understand. It means being realistic about things, instead of trying to delude yourself. That's all it means. You don't need a degree in political science to grasp the concept. See? I've just saved you a great deal on college tuition.
The trouble is this: idealism is seductive. It's easy to put your faith in human nature. Something inside us wants to believe. We want to believe that people are essentially good inside. We want to believe there's justice. We want to believe there's equality.
With all that idealism, it's hard to be realistic. It gets in the way.
Here's the truth: nobody's perfect. Yes, nobility and selflessness exist. But at the same time, everyone has the impulse to lie, cheat and steal. Everyone has greed. Everyone has ambition. Everyone wants to get ahead in life, usually at the expense of someone else. There's no ladder to greatness, there's just bodies with stab wounds in the back. Pile up enough of them, and you can climb to great heights.
If you dig deep enough into every philosophy and religion on the planet, that's what you'll find. Everything starts from the basic assumption that people...are flawed. All that differs is where we go from there. Some people can rise above these base impulses and be decent individuals. Others will betray you the first chance they get. Or the second chance they get. Or the third chance. But it'll happen eventually.
You can't assume that everyone will be good. Statistically speaking, that's not going to happen. Yes, you can think the best of everyone, but that's dangerous thinking. It's the sort of optimism that'll get you killed. Or robbed. Or raped. Pick one. Take your time, there's no need to hurry. Your ultimate fate is an important decision.
Society can't function only on trust. There needs to be something more. That's why we have laws. Laws tell people that if they misbehave, there will be punishment. Laws assume that people will commit atrocities if left to their own devices. Laws assume that people need the threat of force to keep them in place. Between the carrot and the stick, the stick is always more effective. Especially if it's been sharpened.
That's what it comes down to. The only way to ensure peace and security is the threat of force.
However, this is an inherently flawed system. To wield force, you need power. But power is a zero-sum game. If I have power, it means you don't have it. For me to have power over you, I must be stronger. We cannot be equal. My power comes at the expense of yours. There's no such thing as true balance of power. It's more like a see-saw. In general, it helps if you think of the world as a children's playground - complete with the bully who's stealing your lunch money.
This goes against liberal notions most people have about egalitarian distribution. But let's go back to realism. Let's be realistic. People aren't equal. People never are. There's always going to be someone who's richer, someone who's stronger. It's fine to claim that in principle you're equal, but in practical terms...no, you're not.
Crying about it isn't going to change that fact.
The only way to approach something akin to equality is to put all power in the hands of the state, and place it over everyone. That means all the people are equal to each other, and only the government has coercive power. Only the government can wield threats of force. But this isn't real equality. You're just shifting the power dynamics. Now it's the government who has all the power, and you, the individual, have none.
If you don't see the issue with this, then I can't help you.
The other problem is: this doesn't work. It never works. Because no system is perfect. It relies on people. Corrupt people. In an authoritarian state, the government may have all the power. But the government is an abstract entity. In practice, you have people - party officials, police, military rulers, dictators, who actually wield that power. So you're back to the problem of some people having more power than others. And using it on others.
Ask the Russians about it sometime. I'm sure they'll have interesting answers.
In a democracy, there isn't complete surrendering of power. People retain their own power. Money. Weapons. All that isn't given up. In fact, the possession of private property and individual rights are protected by the state. So that just legitimises inequality and uneven distributions of power. It doesn't solve the problem.
Again, let's be realistic. No matter what system we try to impose, it's never going to be equal. That's why idealism is such a dangerous delusion. Of course, people like being deluded. Maybe we're just a masochistic species...because someday, the bubble always pops.
In the end, even a government and police can't protect you from harm. They can provide some measure of assurance, yes, but they cannot guarantee that you won't be robbed or murdered. They can't do that. In principle, no criminal should be able to wield force, because only the police do. In practice, of course criminals have power. Because criminals refuse to surrender that power to the government. That's why they're criminals. That's sort of the point.
If criminals were nice and polite, we wouldn't be having this conversation. And I'd be running a corner grocery store and selling ice-cream to kids rather than shooting people in the head.
So. You have two choices. Either you can put faith in some higher authority, which may or may not exist...or you can wield power of your own. That's what it comes down to.
But if you choose to play the power game, you need to play it all the way. Power means you do what's necessary. Power means you do what needs to be done. It's not enough that you have power. You must be willing to use it. Otherwise it's useless.
Now, this is a dangerous argument too. It's why the authorities condemn people like me, after all. Ordinary citizens aren't supposed to take the law into their own hands. However, if you had a choice between taking action...or just standing by...which would you choose? Too many choose to be sheep. Because society condemns taking power for yourself.
Yet...there's no shame in this. There shouldn't be. The fact that these realities make most people uncomfortable just shows how much we lie to ourselves.
The interesting thing here is - superheroes don't necessarily change the paradigm. Yes, superheroes are individuals with power. But most superheroes support the status quo. Most superheroes support the authorities. They work with the police. They are part of the system. Consider the most prominent hero of them all. He calls himself Statesman. He's named himself after a politician. What does that mean? What does that suggest to you?
He calls himself Statesman. He is a hero.
My name is Realpolitik. I am a vigilante.
I hope you understand why.
NEXT: VILLAIN
-- Acyl