Reddit

Cut billions of dollars in aid to the poorest people in the world? Without having any authority to do it? An average person would stop and think “how many people are going to die from this?” Or, more selfishly, “what consequences will I face in the future if I do something so fundamentally evil?” Or, more practically, “is what I’m doing legal, and will Trump and Musk throw me under the bus and claim I acted without orders if I get criminally charged for this?”

These kids aren’t thinking about long-term consequences. They’re thinking “the richest man in the world chose me to transform America and I have to live up to his expectations”.

You've almost got it right. An average person would stop and think about shit like that. A psychopath would not.

They may be young adults, but they are still adults. Adults still go to prison for doing stupid shit that gets people killed. All of these adults are getting people killed. Literally.

You're not wrong that they might not realize the consequences. But the consequences are still real. I would much prefer that the consequences of their actions are things like cyber bullying and phishing instead of things like WW3 and yet another holocaust

these children

I'm sorry but no. When I was younger than that I was following the news. I remember listening to Dubya and Obama's state of the union speeches and such. I remember being horrified at each war being declared. I remember how civil rights were given or taken away depending on the weather. And before that I was having debates with my teammates about religion and politics in and out of school.

All this to say, besides that I was quite insufferable and still may be, is that I was refining my values and my morals along the way. I knew what was right from wrong, I knew where the boundaries lay, and I knew that certain actions by authorities were bad. And I was damn young. I don't think I'm smarter than the average person, but I know damn well what I was thinking back then.

Don't underestimate young people. These people know very well what they're doing.

I had agency and a moral compass in my late teens and twenties.

Sounds like a similar excuse the concentration camp guards used after WWII

Same sentiment as Hitler's followers

I learned about Nazis and “just following orders” before 6th grade. 20 year olds are not infants.

They are literally killing children and babies same as if they were standing there stepping on their little faces and leaving bloody footprints in their wake. No sympathy for child killers.

Poorest people in the world? Why are the poorest people in the world the USA's problem?