It's Not Unusual

There are things we must do.

Eat.
Poop.
Sleep.
Say John McCain is a war hero.

These are simply existential conditions. I don't mean existential in the confused way people sometimes mean it- perhaps saying it in response to a poignant image or mind blowing pickle. In this case, I mean existential to describe something necessarily a matter of existing, and not existing as simply taking up space and using energy. I mean necessary to a particular mode of existence. So, a certain type of person, to be the type of person they are, has to say John McCain is a war hero.

I, however, don't think there is anything heroic about dropping bombs on civilians from far above them. In certain circumstances, you probably wouldn't either. If that person were dropping bombs on you, or if that person were dropping bombs on someone you thought was "good", you would likely think that person dropping bombs was a bad guy. If there were other people trying to stop that bad guy, you might think they were your defender, and if your defenders could stop that bad guy, and make him fall from the sky, you would probably be happy, perhaps even feel more secure if they sent that bad guy to a secret prison in Guantanamo, or some CIA Black Site in Eastern Europe, or perhaps to a prison in Hanoi. That bad guy would be getting what he deserved; you would not think he was a hero. But that's probably not the person you are so one of the things you might do is say John McCain is a war hero. He is a war hero because he dropped bombs on civilians from far above them.

What do you suppose this says about this type of existence? I mean, who are you, if something you need to do as a matter of your existence is say John McCain is a war hero. Who are you if your way of being includes eating, pooping, sleeping, and valorizing the killing of people just going about their own lives?

Eh, maybe it's better to not think about it.