[bkholdem]

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Then the excuse is that the ends justify the means, not "just doing my job".

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Sometimes that's a perfectly good justification. Any morality which fails to take consequences into account seems crazy.

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but say that, not "ZOMG YOU'RE EXCUSE IS NO DIFFERENT THAN HITLER!!!" That's both wrong and very, very rude.

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I'm not trying to be rude or slime anyone by associating an action with Hitler (or a hitman, which was the example I used). My point was just to point out the faulty logic that the "Just doing my job" argument employs by using an anology.

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Fair enough, and I agree that it's worth pointing that "just doing my job" is a dubious rationale for committing immoral acts. Sometimes, however, the circumstances involved in being a subordinate who merely carries out orders do make "JDMJ" a reasonable explanation (such as if the order's morality is merely in doubt, or if it's judged to be a very minor sin).

I think it is a good excuse in this case. Others can reasonably disagree, but the thing about the Nazi analogy is this: just because an excuse can and has been used in a terrible, stupid way doesn't mean it can never be a valid justification.

Given that, comparing people to Nazis is a pointless red herring: yes, the excuse has been abused in the past, but no, that doesn't tell us anything about whether it's being abused right now. It just raises tempers.

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And there were some former Nazi's or whatever that blew their heads off later in life when they reflected upon the atrocitiest they had committed.

Likewise, there will be occasionally a cop who does the same. I predict in decades to come that number will increase as this country evolves more and more into a police state.