"you have enemies? good, that means you stood up for something, sometime in your life" - winston churchill
this quotation has ALWAYS bothered me. a lot of people use this quotation as an excuse to be an ass. okay, having enemies means that you disagreed with someone. but that doesn't mean you were right. maybe you're an idiot. maybe you're on the wrong side of history. maybe you're just an asshole and you have enemies because of your personality, not because of your beliefs. and anyway, not everyone liked mother teresa and a shit ton of people revered hitler.
also, being right about something doesn't give you a pass on manners. good for you, being an animal rights activist, but you shouldn't throw paint on people. and right on, you gay rights believer, but don't beat up homophobes. there's a right and wrong way to make enemies. make sure you're making them respectfully and righteously.
2 comments:
Interesting observations. I feel like I see it more as a way for people to paint themselves the victim. That mentality just doesn't work imo.
i think i feel the way i do because the first time i paid attention the quotation it was on a blog of a guy who has a reputation for being an asshole. i forget what he said about the quotation, but i know i felt like he justifying his being an ass.
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