DEAD SIRTE

While the exact circumstances surrounding the death of Muammar Gaddafi remain unclear, the figurative queue for kudos formed by those claiming responsibility reflects poorly on our contemporary morals. Once again, a toppled tyrant becomes a trophy corpse for the winning side. As farcically as this resembles the contrived denouement of a Hollywood blockbuster, it atrociously exposes the weaker side of human nature.

Those who would normally express compassion for people suffering through natural disasters and in war zones, appear to demonstrate the conviction that certain figures deserve no pity. Strikingly, these are seldom the same people whose lives were directly impacted by whichever deceased oppressor is the current focus of media saturation. Reacting to the news the general public in the US and the UK reveal a knee-jerk response that is both automatic and unthinking, and almost Pavlovian. This reaction suggests—in the public consciousness—acceptance of the exaggerated significance of symbols in place of an understanding of what they represent.

Gaddafi, along with Saddam Hussein and all the preceding generations of despots including Idi Amin, Pol Pot and ultimately Stalin and Hitler, have become enduring symbols of (and synonymous with) evil. Their well-publicised notoriety has made these wicked people into monsters who, in the minds of most people, personify evil. The most monstrous aspect of this aggrandisement of symbols is one little recognised: the mental paralysis inflicted on those who accept and perpetuate it. When people fixate on individuals they perceive as manifestations of evil, they unconsciously forfeit their personal responsibility to (recognise and) oppose evil in all its forms. In doing so, they accept the subtly peddled misnomer that armies beyond their control have the only relevant battles in hand.

Few people would attempt to defend men like Gaddafi, who was clearly capable of committing atrocities. To revel in the removal of figures like him—celebrating with childlike tunnel vision the slaying of yet another dragon—appeals to our collective sense of justice. A naive feeling follows; a connection with the moral upbringing of our past, when we were taught that bullies can be overcome if we stand up to them. This may well be true, but the trouble is that contemporary bullies are the most powerful people on earth. They are sophisticated and ruthless masters of disguise, adept at misdirection.