Hi! I’m sure someone will recognize me. Someone may even have insults to hurl. Go for it if you want, I’m not spending all day in this comment thread.

But I do want to offer an outside perspective. I get the concept in the article re:“Stalin did nothing wrong” and I see how that has value from an internal perspective. However from an external one it looks as much like apologetics as someone saying “Benjamin Franklin did nothing wrong” does to you except they may not have the state of mind to be critical and self examining. That can quickly turn in to one of two things

They take it at face value and assume you legitimately mean they did nothing wrong which it seems we already agree is incorrect.

They assume you’re trolling.

In either of these circumstances nothing is accomplished but another wedge being driven between such a person and the message they need to hear.

I get it, I do. If you say, “yeah they did this bad thing” then all too often they’ll take that and run with it. But if you’re not willing to be critical of leaders then how do you expect them to take you any more seriously than you take them?

I don’t say this because I think I’m more capable of whatever. I say this because I have a different perspective and a different opinion. I offer my perspective in kindness because if I can’t do that then we won’t be able to have any kind of discussion and we’ll never find the unity I’ve seen this instance being purported to be about.