If You Could Have Dinner with Anyone, Maybe It Should Be with Someone Evil
When asked who we would have dinner with if we could have dinner with anyone from history, most of us think of someone who accomplished something incredible. They'll think of Jesus, Alexander the Great, Martin Luther King Jr., Churchill or FDR, Moses, Buddha, Abraham Lincoln, Julius Caesar, Einstein, Shakespeare, da Vinci, and the like.
But maybe it would make more sense to have dinner with someone evil.
The geniuses of art and science might best be appreciated through their work. It's not like one is going to ask Einstein to explain physics, Shakespeare to explain writing, or da Vinci to explain painting and invention. First, would they even be skilled teachers? Second, in one dinner?
So, why not meet with the great leaders? It would be interesting to experience the personalities of great people, but most of us already know what well-intentioned charismatic people are like. Look at the recent examples of Obama and Reagan. One might disagree with their policy goals, but clearly, neither leader was evil, and both were extraordinarily likable. It's easy to see why they have loyal followings. Extrapolate out to people greater than these with even greater charisma. There is no mystery.
However, there are many evil historical figures who inspired unwavering loyalty in their devotees. Most don't even seem likable. Look at evil people who developed loyal followings and lived recently enough that we have film footage of them, people like Hitler, Stalin, or, on a smaller scale of evil, a person like Charles Manson. These people inspired such fervent loyalty in others that their loyalists were willing to murder people for them. Yet, it's difficult to see the appeal. How did they do this? How were people so led astray?
Perhaps a dinner would provide the answers.