Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian in the 1940s and spoke out and boldly acted against Hitler’s Nazi Germany, which ended up costing him his life. I am struck by much of what Bonhoeffer has written (Life Together was especially a powerful read for me in seminary) and I think his opposition to Hitler is significant for us today. I want to offer some reflections on some quotes from Bonhoeffer’s writings on the subject of stupidity, which is so much of what we are facing today.
Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. One may protest against evil; it can be exposed and, if need be, prevented by use of force. Evil always carries within itself the germ of its own subversion in that it leaves behind in human beings at least a sense of unease. Against stupidity we are defenseless. Neither protests nor the use of force accomplish anything here; reasons fall on deaf ears; facts that contradict one’s prejudgment simply need not be believed—in such moments the stupid person even becomes critical—and when facts are irrefutable they are just pushed aside as inconsequential, as incidental. In all this the stupid person, in contrast to the malicious one, is utterly self-satisfied and, being easily irritated, becomes dangerous by going on the attack.
It is so very interesting to me that Bonhoeffer levels against Hitler and his cult-like followers the charge of stupidity. We have rightly always equated Hitler with evil, but I rarely have seen him accused of stupidity. With donald trump I have said from the beginning of his first term that he and his administration seem to be in a constant struggle between incompetence and cruelty; stupidity and evil. Examples of this are voluminous. The war in Iran has no real basis and there is absolutely no idea what happens beyond mercilessly and randomly bombing. Now they are completely flummoxed that Iran will not allow any oil tankers out of the Strait of Hormuz, thus driving up oil prices for the entire world. These guys could not think their way out of a paper bag and people are dying as a result.
Bonhoeffer makes a strong point that evil can be exposed, but against stupidity, “we are defenseless.” I protested, marched, wrote letters, vigiled – everything you can do to urge President Bush to stop the illegal invasion of Iraq. Bush certainly was not a smart man, but I did think there was some level of humanity there; some capacity to reason. With trump, I still protest in all of its forms, but my protests are not aimed at trump himself. They are expressions of worship for me, focusing on acknowledging the sovereignty and compassion of God as well as being and acting in solidarity with God’s people (and I distinguish between God’s people and those professing to belong to the institutional church, but this is another post entirely).
To be frank, trump is too stupid to know the difference between right and wrong and so is not persuaded by public protest or logic. What so easily sways him, as Netanyahu, Putin, and other world leaders know, are appeals to his narcissism which feed his corruption. If he benefits from something, then it is innately the right thing to do. I don’t know which is the origin of his actions – his stupidity or cruelty, and honestly, neither do I care. But the stupidity of trump and his administration is so prevalent that nothing they do shows itself to have been thought out.
The fact that the stupid person is often stubborn must not blind us to the fact that he is not independent. In conversation with him, one virtually feels that one is dealing not at all with him as a person, but with slogans, catchwords, and the like that have taken possession of him. He is under a spell, blinded, misused, and abused in his very being. Having thus become a mindless tool, the stupid person will also be capable of any evil and at the same time incapable of seeing that it is evil. This is where the danger of diabolical misuse lurks, for it is this that can once and for all destroy human beings.
It is hard to think that Bonhoeffer was not writing about donald trump or Pete Hegseth or any member of trump’s Cabinet here. “One is dealing not at all with him as a person, but with slogans, catchwords, and the like that have taken possession of him.” I am reminded that upon winning the Republican nomination in 2016, trump’s team began casting about for his Vice-President. He initially asked John Kasich and when trump’s team interviewed Kasich’s team the trump team told the others that Kasich would have a wide portfolio, including many if not most of foreign policy and domestic issues. When Kasich’s team asked the trump representatives what exactly trump would be doing, they responded, “making America great again.” trump is as intellectually and emotionally deep as his stupid catchphrases.
The stupidity of trump and his administration is so obvious that if you ever watch the sketches on Saturday Night Live, it is hard to tell if the writers are making up the sketch or simply borrowing the actual words of trump and his followers themselves. For instance, after watching Pete Hegseth’s moronic macho press conferences, it is hard to determine if Colin Jost, the SNL cast member playing Hegseth, is a caricature of Hegseth or if Hegseth is more cartoonish just being himself!
Yet at this very point it becomes quite clear that only an act of liberation, not instruction, can overcome stupidity. Here we must come to terms with the fact that in most cases a genuine internal liberation becomes possible only when external liberation has preceded it. Until then we must abandon all attempts to convince the stupid person.
Interestingly, our final advice from Bonhoeffer comes at a time with the mid-terms approaching. The Democratic Party has had a really bad last two years. When not totally capitulating to trump, they have repeatedly tried persuasion when, as Bonhoeffer reminds us, stupidity can’t be convinced. The only way to adequately respond is through political force (not to be mistaken as violence!) and solidarity with those imperiled by the stupidity. I am not sure the Democrats are worthy of the political wave that is coming, but that is largely irrelevant. The political change that will likely happen in November will deliver the only message stupidity understands: the power will no longer be in the hands of stupidity.
