Hitler as the face of evil

For example, those who disliked or even hated Angela Markel likened her to Hitler, even though she did exactly the opposite of what Hitler did previously: she contributed to the strengthening of the EU. She welcomed the entry of mass non-white migrants into Germany and other EU countries as against the ideologies of white supremacy and privilege.

This situation is indeed tragic. Humanity requires a symbol of evil to reference, learn from, reflect on, and educate future generations. However, when this symbol is trivialised, it loses its meaning, ceasing to be a moral benchmark but a political tool for baseless accusations, hatred, and vilification.

Moreover, such representations of evil create an illusion for many, allowing them to externalise and distance themselves from their potential for evil while simultaneously engaging in virtue signalling by likening their adversaries to Hitler. This behaviour enables them to avoid self-reflection and accountability, projecting all their animosity onto someone compared to Hitler to try emptying themselves of any self-responsibility. It is an irresponsible act of evil projection.

This behaviour also highlights a moral inconsistency and hypocrisy in those who readily use the Hitler card to condemn their political rivals and enemies yet fail to act against the similar atrocities that Hitler himself committed during WWII- genocide, war, and racial supremacy. Are they not, in essence, as evil as those they accuse? Are they not inadvertently turning Hitler into an evil saint to save them from political defeat or feud?

It brings us to the final part of our discourse, which ideally should have been addressed at the outset: What is evil? As certain Christian theologians and philosophers have thought, is it merely the absence of good? Or does evil possess a tangible existence and solid reality, as goodness?

There is no definitive answer; instead, the responses to these inquiries collectively contribute to our understanding of the concept and actuality of evil. In essence, the source of evil resides inside us as a part of our free will in the first place as something we are capable of and have a propensity for, irrespective of whether we try projecting it onto God for its genesis or social conditions.

It is a destructive force within us, capable of inflicting harm upon others, owing to our inherently flawed nature. It holds a more profound and intrinsic influence on us than good, with the power to change things drastically and even radically for the worse, with a massive negative impact on the scope of our reality.

Hence, we must confront the visage of evil in a nuanced, unambiguous, and non-trivialised manner to unveil the demons lurking within us authentically. While Hitler's image may catalyse this introspection, it fails to encapsulate the entirety of the malevolent forces that reside within us and operate in the world that we are responsible for and fight against, both personally and collectively.