I was browsing on Substack the other day, and while reading an article about a random topic (link here), I came across the below comment:
Anyone who unironically uses the word “incel” as a pejorative is demonstrating severe sociopathic tendencies, in my opinion. Imagine how sadistic and devoid of compassion you have to be in order to bully people who are unattractive and unpopular SIMPLY FOR BEING UNATTRACTIVE AND UNPOPULAR. If that’s not an example of kicking someone while they’re down, I don’t know what is. These people are acting as if unattractiveness and lack of popularity is a mortal character flaw in and of itself–as if it makes their target morally irredeemable and sub-human–as an ad-hoc method of justifying actual bullying and evil behavior toward those who most likely don’t deserve it. And the people who throw the “incel” label around casually are typically the ones who claim to be the most compassionate. What a joke. I know someone’s going to read my comment and respond with “You sound really upset about this. You sound like an incel! This is exactly what an incel would say!”
I agree 100% with this comment and feel that a very similar point could be made about the Confederacy.
People attack and insult the Confederacy, and argue that it shouldn’t be honored with statues and monuments, because it lost the war. As if losing a war somehow demonstrates poor character. As if a lack of population, resources, and supplies is somehow a character flaw.
Losing a war has nothing to do with character. Winning and losing are determined by things such as population size, resources, and supplies. These are things that have nothing to do with character. Which side wins, and which side loses, has nothing to do with which side was right and which side was wrong.
People who attack and insult the Confederates for being “losers” are attacking and insulting the Confederacy for having a smaller population, fewer supplies, less advanced technology, and a less industrialized economy.
When you call the Confederates “losers,” you are acting as if a lack of population, resources, and supplies is a character flaw. Just as, by using the word “incel” as a pejorative, you are acting as if unattractiveness and lack of popularity are character flaws. But these aren’t character flaws. And there is no logical reason whatsoever to believe that they are.
People who call Confederate soldiers “losers” as a pejorative are demonstrating the exact same attitude as those who use the word “incel” as a pejorative. Just as the latter group of people are choosing to bully those who are unattractive and unpopular simply for being unattractive and unpopular, the former group of people are choosing to bully a nation that had a small population, fewer supplies, less advanced technology, and a less industrialized economy… simply for having a small population, fewer supplies, less advanced technology, and a less industrialized economy.
As the above commenter correctly points out, this way of thinking is sadistic, completely devoid of compassion, and is the very essence of kicking someone when they’re down. It’s also completely irrational and has no basis in logic or reason.
And, as the commenter also correctly points out, the people who do this are generally the people who claim to be the most compassionate. When in reality, their decision to equate a lack of attractiveness, popularity, resources, and supplies with poor character demonstrates not only their complete and utter lack of logic, but also their complete and utter lack of compassion for the people who need it the most.