Bad thing Quote by Terry Pratchett
““It was because he wanted there to be conspirators. It was much better to imagine men in some smoky room somewhere, made mad and cynical by privilege and power, plotting over the brandy. You had to cling to this sort of image, because if you didn't then you might have to face the fact that bad things happened because ordinary people, the kind who brushed the dog and told their children bedtime stories, were capable of then going out and doing horrible things to other ordinary people. It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleakly depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone's fault. If it was Us, then what did that make Me? After all, I'm one of Us. I must be. I've certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. We're always one of Us. It's Them that do the bad things.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Discworld series, 1990s
People prefer to blame evil on distant, powerful conspirators rather than ordinary individuals, because accepting personal responsibility is unsettling.
In simple terms: Blaming others is easier than seeing ourselves as capable of harm.
Key Takeaway
Recognize personal agency in wrongdoing.
Themes
responsibility
psychology
evil
identity
denial
Mood
reflective
critical
somber
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- political discourse
- personal reflection
- media analysis
Key Concepts
Moral psychology
social cognition
attribution bias
Questions to Reflect On
- How does blaming "them" protect our self-image?
- What are the consequences of refusing to see ourselves in wrongdoing?
A Different Perspective
It oversimplifies complex social dynamics and can excuse personal accountability.
