EDITORIAL: Beware the Hitlers among us
Globally, Adolf Hitler was arguably the worst leader to have walked the earth. But at home in Germany, he was revered at the time. He appealed to the values of the German people and encouraged them to follow his dream of a great Germany.
In the end, his actions resulted in ruin rather than the betterment of his people and country. To date, Germany is haunted by the ghosts of its past.
What we can learn from Hitler’s dark chapter is that inspirational leadership can be a sharp double-edged sword, with a potential immoral and unethical dimension that could be exploited by an unscrupulous leader and inflicted on naive and unsuspecting followers.
That is why leaders like Jerry Ekandjo, who is itching to see gay people jailed for their sexuality, need to be followed with caution instead of blindly. The recent spike in hate killings against members of the LGBTQ community could very well be inspired by the actions and rhetoric of some of our leaders.
Let’s be clear. We are not calling upon leaders like Ekandjo to suddenly become pro-gay. It’s well within their right not to support things like same-sex marriages if they so wish. But to actively seek to undermine the basic constitutional rights of citizens who are different, to the extent of seeking to fine or jail them through legislation, sends a very dangerous message of hate.
Inspirational leadership is not always positive. When a leader sows seeds of hate, like Hitler, his followers will be inspired to be foot soldiers in executing his ideologies of hate and violence.
In the end, his actions resulted in ruin rather than the betterment of his people and country. To date, Germany is haunted by the ghosts of its past.
What we can learn from Hitler’s dark chapter is that inspirational leadership can be a sharp double-edged sword, with a potential immoral and unethical dimension that could be exploited by an unscrupulous leader and inflicted on naive and unsuspecting followers.
That is why leaders like Jerry Ekandjo, who is itching to see gay people jailed for their sexuality, need to be followed with caution instead of blindly. The recent spike in hate killings against members of the LGBTQ community could very well be inspired by the actions and rhetoric of some of our leaders.
Let’s be clear. We are not calling upon leaders like Ekandjo to suddenly become pro-gay. It’s well within their right not to support things like same-sex marriages if they so wish. But to actively seek to undermine the basic constitutional rights of citizens who are different, to the extent of seeking to fine or jail them through legislation, sends a very dangerous message of hate.
Inspirational leadership is not always positive. When a leader sows seeds of hate, like Hitler, his followers will be inspired to be foot soldiers in executing his ideologies of hate and violence.
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