On People Who Fantasize About Committing Gruesome Acts of Physical Violence

...it is almost always conservatives who use violence, even murder, to express political anger ~ Thomas Schaller, associate professor of political science at the University of MD Baltimore County. Quote from his 1/25/2011 article, "Violence on the Right: More Evidence".

If you're like me you might find it disturbing when you encounter a person who blogs about fantasies in which they commit gruesome acts of physical violence, regardless of who the person they want to hurt is. The disturbed individual I'm referring to is the blogger Willis Hart. The disturbing post I'm referring to is below.

Willis Hart: [In regards to] Kim Jong Un... That little degenerate stooge wouldn't last an hour on the street. Hell, I wouldn't even mind taking a crack at him (my 31 inch Roberto Clemente bat from the '70s more than likely my weapon of choice) myself (first respectfully waiting in line of course). (4/22/2013 AT 8:14pm).

Hey, I'm no fan of Un, but if he were dead another ruthless dictator would most likely take his place. The next in line (whoever that may be) would step up and play the same game... threatening the US and then extorting us for money and food to feed their starving citizens. It's a game they've played before, but given the fact that Un is new, apparently he thinks the time is right to dance this dance with us again.

That said, I have no personal animus against people I've never met. If not Un, it would be some other person engaging in the evilness that comes with the dictator gig. I certainly don't fantasize about doing him harm in the most gruesome way possible. It isn't as if Mr. Hart said he'd push a button that would result in Un being struck dead. Or say he'd shoot him if given the chance. He could also wish our Navy Seals would extract him and possibly kill him (or bring him to justice). No, Willis Hart wants to go after another human being with a baseball bat and personally beat him to death.

I say violence fantasies like these are signs of a person not being quite right in the head. Or a sign that said person is a Conservative. I mean, Conservatives are the types who fantasize about gunning down armed intruders. Right-wingers are the ones responsible for murdering abortion clinic doctors, and they are the ones who join the armed militias our government is watching.

But Willis WOULD respectfully wait in line. Those people - the ones he would wait in line behind - they would be North Koreans, and would have an actual legitimate reason to desire being incredibly brutal. And I'm sure they'd kill Un before Willis got a chance. So I guess the Hartster didn't think through his violence fantasy very well.

Also, how is Kim Jong Un a "stooge"? A "stooge" is a follower, but Un is the leader (Dictionary.com defines "stooge" as "any underling, assistant, or accomplice"). I think Willis used the word "stooge" (without regard to its definition) simply because it is one of the absolute worst thing a person can be, in his opinion. When I used to comment on his blog he frequently labeled me a "stooge".

As for Mr. Hart's use of the word "degenerate", Dictionary.com says it means, "to fall below a normal or desirable level in physical, mental, or moral qualities; deteriorate". Huh. I wonder just how often Willis fantasizes about hurting people he dislikes. Depending on how consuming these flights of fancy are, I think Willis may very well be lacking in "moral qualities" and fall into the "degenerate" category.

SWTD #138, wDel #19.