The following excerpt was taken from Friedrich Nietzsche’s work “Beyond Good and Evil” published in 1886:
233 Two factors that have discouraged growth in society are religion and free will. And by free will, I mean that which we do not possess, although at times it is nice to believe that one does. Religion has hitherto created a generation of slaves, chained to their values of generosity and compassion. Meanwhile, the such called “masters” are aristocrats that determine the norms of society. For instance, the leaders in society [Donald Trump] execute their beliefs of power and absolute authority because they can, and most importantly, because they take pleasure in doing so. The slaves serve and the masters master. Say yea for those in power! They, as every other citizen, should not be held responsible for their actions, as human being’s nature is predetermined.
That Ears May Hear We can walk or run, agree or disagree. Is the choice [of man] beneficial? Beneficial to whom and for what? Are your benefits the same as your brother’s? Decisions of both masters and slaves could indeed damn society. However, it is a being’s duty to comprehend and understand decisions and the driving force of masters—and slaves—no matter the intentions.
Okay, maybe this excerpt wasn’t written by Nietzsche. But if he were still alive, he definitely would’ve written something similar. This exercise is known as “stylistic imitation,” and it is used to “sample and imitate sentence structure, supplying one’s own material. Also known as modeling.”
You may be wondering, okay, so why did you imitate Nietzsche’s writing? Nietzsche was a German philosopher who greatly impacted the world as we know it today, and as I sat in my 9 A.M. philosophy lecture at Boston University last Wednesday morning, I couldn’t help but realize the many parallels and connections of Nietzsche’s ideas to those of the 45th president of the United States. That morning, I learned that the history of humanity has been shaped by the constant struggle between the oppressor and the oppressed. Nietzsche labels the oppressor’s beliefs as “master morality” and the ideas of the oppressed as “slave morality.” Master morality is the morality of the ruling aristocracy and it defends unjust actions—calling for absolute power. On the other hand, slave morality is all of the values associated with religions and tradition of the past, like mercy and self-sacrifice. Religion, according to Nietzsche, discourages individuals to tap into their talents by calling for humility and egalitarianism.
Nietzsche’s concepts have not only challenged my own notions of the world, but they have also allowed me to understand why people act in certain ways. Karl Marx once asked, “Do circumstances make men or do men make circumstances?” Many Americans are unaware of the reasons behind Donald Trump’s decisions. One could argue that perhaps Trump underwent certain situations that shaped his current beliefs. Perhaps racism and discrimination were impressed on him. Donald Trump exercises his beliefs of master morality because he can in this country through what we so dearly call “democracy.” And for that, no one can blame him. Nietzsche said it loud and proud: It is our duty to try to comprehend and understand the reasons why people do what they do instead of condemning them for their differences. Without a doubt, this is hard to do as Trump is a man who incriminates innocent people for their nationalities and beliefs. But the next time you see a person wearing a red hat that says “Make America Great Again” ask them: “How?” And if you see someone with a blue flag that states “Trump” ask them: “Why?”
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Friedrich Nietzsche’s “Beyond Good and Evil” https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/nietzsche/1886/beyond-good-evil/ch01.htm
Stylistic imitation facts: http://grammar.about.com/od/rs/g/Sentence-Imitation.htm
Karl Marx: http://busin.biz/library/marx/The%20Marx-Engels%20Reader.pdf
