I think you guys are repeatedly missing AIFs point which (if I can put words in his mouth) is that it’s bad for us to spend time wallowing like piggies in anger or hate. These negative emotions are addictive, whether it’s watching Fox News or posting on incel forums or high-fiving the pain of actually terrible people, it all serves to reinforce hate and anger in your mind and you start to want to experience it again.
I have no sympathy or empathy for Phil Valentine and his family at all because why would I? Something like 150,000 people die worldwide every single day. This asshole is the last one I’m going to waste my empathy budget on. I think it’s funny that he died of covid and it’s probably good and fitting that people who spend their lives trying to undermine social trust get owned. That’s as far as it goes though, it’s like 20 seconds out of my day. Spending time cranking up the amygdala and working up joy or elation imagining the downfall and suffering of other people is bad for your brain and it’s bad to encourage other people to do it. The question of whether the object of your ill-wishing deserves it or not is beside the point.
I don’t think that’s quite it. Even if you only spent 20s, AIF seems concerned with what you spent that 20s on. And if I read him correctly, even spending only 20s on wishing he had an even more agonizing, miserable death was bad and should make you feel bad. Even if you managed to never think of it again.