Nobody sees themselves as a villain.
That’s a common observation, and it seems largely true.
THE WAYS IT’S TRUE
People who support fascism don’t see themselves as a villain. They see themselves as good people and good citizens. They see it as supporting and upholding tradition and what’s good about their country. They turn a blind eye to the horrors they know come with it because they think it won’t impact them.
In general, when we react to our trauma in ways that hurt others and ourselves, we also don’t see ourselves as a villain. We know we act on our own hurt. We know our own history and what led to it. We may distract ourselves from what we know – that we hurt others and ourselves because of our own hurt – through engaging in stories that apparently justify and rationalize it.
NOT COMPLETELY TRUE
Of course, it’s also not entirely true.
People who support fascism know the horrors that come with it. They know they support it, or at least are OK with it. They know how that looks, and that it fits the image of a villain.
When we act on our reaction to trauma and hurt others and ourselves, we know what we are doing. In spite of whatever we may tell ourselves about it, we know what’s happening. We know we fit the image of someone hurting others and ourselves, and we likely don’t like it. That may lead us to fuel the behavior and justifications, or it can make us pause and take a closer look.
We can also fully embrace the villain identity in two very different ways. We can embrace it in the sense of consciously identifying with it and living from and as it. (Happens in some cases of strong trauma.) We can also embrace it as one of many parts of us, and relate to it with more awareness and kindness. (Happens when we have a more healthy and mature orientation.)
MORE WAYS TO DISTRACT OURSELVES
There are often more dynamics going on here, including projections.
If we fit the image of a villain and know it and don’t want to see it, we may put it on others. We make others into the villain. That way, we can distract ourselves from seeing it in ourselves.
Someone is a villain – someone is a bad person doing bad things – and it’s that guy, not me.
More generally, everything I see in the world is also here in me. I can take any story I have about anyone or anything, turn it around to myself, and find specific and genuine examples of how it’s true. I can find it in myself.
THE UNITED STATES TODAY
We are one week from the US presidential election, which is why I am revisiting this familiar topic.
It’s playing itself out in one of the largest and most influential countries in the world.
People who see themselves as good people support and vote for a fascist. They support someone who is fascinated by and admires Hitler. Someone who read Hitler’s speeches to his former wife as bedtime stories. Someone who, among many other things, wants to persecute and prosecute his political enemies just because they oppose his policies. Someone who wants to use the military against people of his own country. Someone who wants to centralize power and do away with the basics of democracy.
Someone who has as a motto: Attack attack attack. Admit nothing, deny everything. Always claim victory.
Someone who is unashamedly sexist, racist, and bigoted and is using the old and tired (and unfortunately successful) strategy of scapegoating the already least fortunate in society.
They see it as upholding and protecting what’s good about their country. They turn a blind eye to the horrors that come with it. They do it because they think nothing bad will happen to them, only to others.