Evil generated by ignorance, often with good intentions.

As an example, a number of years ago, I was working in Utah, a state known for level-headed tolerance and religious diversity, for a multimedia firm. The boss of this company took personal offence at my black clothing and musical tastes, and disliked me from day one. The predominant religion of the area I lived was LDS, (the church, not LSD the drug), and so was this boss. He one day invited me into his office where he proceeded to discuss my shortcomings at the time. "I'm putting together an elite team, and one of the best things about this team will be the ability to receive inspiration from the holy ghost." Woah! "I recommend you rethink your current lifestyle." All this guy knew about me was that a) I was a hard worker, and b) I dressed in black and listened to loud music (via headphones), but apparently through his stunning grasp of logic and superhuman powers of reasoning he'd uncovered my debaucherous and sinful life. "It's not your fault, look at society. Our culture is imitating the black's." Seeing my eyes stretch clear across my face in disbelief, he clarified... "Now, don't get me wrong, they make great gladiators. And there are some very intelligent ones. But, in general, they're just not as smart as you and me."

"Great gladiators" just kept reverberating through my head over and over, leaving pangs of fear and hatred everywhere it hit. I'm afraid I was in a daze for the rest of his lecture... This man's soul was much darker than any clothing I could ever have worn, yet in his own eyes (and a great deal of my coworker's!) he was a holy man. His actions weren't intentionally evil, just through ignorance and fear.

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