Evil and Ignorance

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, in one of his notable books, makes observations generally consistent with my ongoing theme of mankind's ability to delude itself. Specifically, he talks about liberals and left-wing idealists from the 20th century, who wholeheartedly embraced the idea of communism, and asserted that, with so enlightened a form of government, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the world followed the footsteps of the USSR, China, etc.

Of course, the generally right-wing American political system (and the world press) was telling them that the amazing success of Stalin's first 5-year plan was built on the backs of millions of his own citizens that he threw into slavery and ultimately either worked to death, or else just outright killed. Other branches of the press were talking about food and other commodity shortages that were happening in Russia, and which are endemic in any civilization based on altruism. Still other branches told of oppression of the Chinese and Russian people, and the pervasiveness of fear and paranoia.

The communist-idealist liberals -- including a great many college students, professors, and other people who's jobs and lives allowed them to be oblivious and/or ignorant of things like "reality" -- refused to believe any of those reports, saying that it was just propaganda generated to detract from The Enemy. They denied it. And they continued denying it, even (after the fall of the USSR) when documents, eyewitness accounts, and confessions from Soviet Party members substantiated everything that Ronny Reagan said the Russians were doing. Idealists were incapable of coming to terms with the fact that something they considered so grandiose, pure, and well-intentioned could ever be capable of anything like a government killing millions of their own people based on racial or religious reasons. None of that bad shit could really have happened under the aegis of so brilliant a concept!

In a similar vein, take Adolf Hitler. To this day, there are people -- and not just hard-core neo-Nazis -- who believe that he was the greatest man who ever lived. Now, if you deny that the man was an ego-maniac, a tyrant, and a mass murderer, you need to take another, closer look at history. Because he was all those things. On the other hand, if you deny that he was a political genius, an excellent statesman, and a superb inspirational leader of men, you also need to take another, closer look at history. Because he was all those things, too.

Among the people who remember him as all that and a bag of chips, some of them outright deny that the holocaust ever happened, and - much like the ideal communists - say that all that shit was just propaganda generated by the right-wing (Jewish/Zionist) elite to slander someone who challenged them. They refuse to believe that it happened. Among others of Hitler's modern disciples, they admit that the holocaust was reality, but either don't care about millions of dead Jews, or else think that millions of dead Jews is a pretty good idea.

Now then.

Which is the greater evil: to deny an evil reality to embrace a grand idea/ideal/event that is intertwined with the evil, or else to admit the evil reality, and still embrace the same grand idea/ideal/event? Is it better to be a zealot immune to all criticism of your Chosen Idea, or is it better to be aware of all that is wrong with your Chosen Idea, and to still be zealous supporter? People who deny the holocaust are, on facial analysis, a lot less bright than people who admit it and support it, but are they more or less evil? Or is ignorance it's own special brand of evil? And if clueless ignorance is evil, what does that say about the natural mental state of mankind?