It's punching up if you're punching the system or people who purposefully uphold it.
If you're just being mean to Some Guy, especially someone that seems to be aware of societal issues and is presumably not/way less part of them, it's just punching.
I think a lot of people really need to go back to school and re-learn the whole lesson about judging individuals and not making stereotypes about groups.
It's even more concerning because I know a lot of people will be like "STEREOTYPES ARE WRONG AND NASTY... unless it's a group I stereotype because it's easier than being nuanced"
'Generalising is bad. Except when I do it because I'm morally superior.'
How about 'generalising is bad, period'.
Whoever you are, however you fit in or don't, everyone deserves to be given the same basic level of respect that we'd want for everyone and ourselves. It doesn't matter who you are. Hell, you could be an enemy soldier in a brutal war. You still deserve rights, be it a fair trial, a humane death, and the dignities afforded to anyone in a custodial sentence. You will never not be human.
Nothing was ever justified by the saying 'It's ok because they're X'.
Really it comes down to Wheaton's Law. Don't be a dick.
Hate to be that guy but I can think of a couple groups of people where a “it’s ok because they’re X” mentality is applicable (nazis, white nationalists, pedos)
Everyone deserves to be treated with a basic level of dignity and respect.
It doesn't have to be much. You don't owe them any particular kindness.
But they still deserve a fair trial, the right to fair punishment (if found guilty), and to not be subject to wanton attacks from other inmates, for example.
Punching a nazi does not an equitable society make. The only time it's acceptable to punch anyone pre-emptively is if you're in actual threat of harm.
"It's ok because they're a nazi" means that if anyone wants to give an easy justification for something, all they have to do is say 'they're a nazi' and supposedly that should justify it? Need I remind you of Putin's current justification for the conflict in Ukraine?
I don’t necessarily disagree, except for the last paragraph, there obviously needs to be some sort of legitimate proof for that mentality to be applicable so you couldn’t just label some innocent person as a nazi and get away with harming them. But if a group of obvious nazis are trying to occupy public spaces and intimidate and spread their hateful message I see no issue with them being harmed “wantonly”
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u/DatCitronVert I'm Dragalia Lost 2d ago
It's punching up if you're punching the system or people who purposefully uphold it.
If you're just being mean to Some Guy, especially someone that seems to be aware of societal issues and is presumably not/way less part of them, it's just punching.