Inner Megalomaniac

"Even Hitler didn't wake up going, 'let me do the most evil thing I can do today.' I think he woke up in the morning and using a twisted, backwards logic, he set out to do what he thought was 'good.'" ~ Will Smith ruminating

"Adolf Hitler was a vile, heinous vicious killer responsible for one of the greatest acts of evil committed on this planet." ~ Will Smith backpedaling

Hello.

First of all, has anyone ever heard of a black Nazi? It's an oxymoron.

Hitler believed in the ridiculous concept of Aryan (read "white") superiority. Couple that concept with copious amounts of amphetamines and you have the Jewish purge. Hitler was really a religious man with a concept. And a crusade. And everybody wants to be in on a crusade at least once. Does anything else that a person can do produce such a giddy high of self-superiority?

I think this is what Will Smith was saying. Hitler was a man on a mission, bent on fixing the world. He was a do-gooder. So how does doing good turn into a holocaust? Will Smith is presenting a paradox that apparently went over the heads of his many fans.

"Whoa. Will Smith is a Nazi. Imagine that."

Apparently, the one luxury celebrities don't have is the luxury of deep thought. Shame on you, Will. You are an intelligent black man. Don't betray your fans by thinking.

So is it wrong to try to change the world? What is the difference between Hitler and Al Gore? Some people would say nothing. But does anyone believe Al Gore is a monster bent on dominating the world, with the ends justifying the means, in order to save the world? When does saving the world ~ mimicking your favorite superhero ~ become megalomania?

Even more interesting, is there a megalomaniac within each of us that is waiting to break out if only it can find a cause worth dominating the world for? Is there any irony in the idea that we can save the world through destruction? Awareness of that irony may be the only thing that keeps our inner megalomaniacs in check.

Bravo, Will Smith. You are a celebrity with a brain. And you seem to be keeping your inner megalomaniac in check.