how does one view these people as anything other than cruel, profoundly fucking stupid hypocrites?

Unfortunately, by also viewing them as victims. Humanity was not ready for the internet or multi-billion dollar media conglomerates, horizontally integrating across almost all sources of information in an endless stream of emotionally manipulative and intellectually degrading “content”.

Many of these people are profoundly fucking stupid hypocrites, but they weren’t born that way, they were made. Either as byproducts of greed seeking “engagement” and attention, and/or direct products of a deliberate decades-long effort to push society to the tipping point that it is facing right now.

A handful of powerful individuals and faceless corporations have manufactured the consent of the masses by dismantling and weaponizing education and communication.

They are responsible for taking fringe, outdated elements of society - people that are usually ignored, shunned, or left behind in times of progress - and instead gave them a platform, legitimacy, power, and a sense of community.

People like this were always a part of humanity, but it isn’t natural for there to be so fucking many of them all at once, all in one place. It usually requires incredible societal upheaval, like the aftermath of a “war to end all wars”.

But in the modern day? All it took was a steady influx of fear and hatred, experimentally perfected over the lifetime of radio, TV, and finally the internet.

All delivered by Murdoch, Koch, Zuck et al through the mouthpieces of complicit bastards like Limbaugh, Hannity, and Tate.

Always remember who the real problems are.

“Quibbling over precise definition of pedophilia sign of a healthy adult”

You still had to be not poor to take advantage of all that.

Yeah, randomly shitting on individuals of older generations is just not productive.

Yes, the society as a whole benefitted from better economic conditions, borrowed from tomorrow, and pulled the ladders up behind them… but we don’t know that user. Plenty of people in “the good times” did not have it good.

For all they know, that particular GenX or Boomer was destitute and desperate.

For all they know, that particular elder was in the protests and on the picket lines and fighting this shit every step of the way.

We need solidarity. Every generation, every age, everyone and anyone who is willing. Don’t blame the individuals for the groups.