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Do Unto Others Before They Do Unto Us

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A subtrope of I Did What I Had to Do, this is a stock explanation for those operating on the extremely cynical end of the Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism. When such characters have to employ a morally dubious weapon but still care about justifying it, this will almost always be the go-to rationalization. The argument goes that once a weapon has been invented it will inevitably proliferate and be used, and therefore the only sane response is to use it as early and often as possible. Expect to hear it as a paper-thin excuse from General Ripper, the Well-Intentioned Extremist, or the Social Darwinist as they sprint gleefully towards the Moral Event Horizon with the rest of the world in tow. If your protagonists are using this justification, you probably live in a Crapsack World, or

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A subtrope of I Did What I Had to Do, this is a stock explanation for those operating on the extremely cynical end of the Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism. When such characters have to employ a morally dubious weapon but still care about justifying it, this will almost always be the go-to rationalization. The argument goes that once a weapon has been invented it will inevitably proliferate and be used, and therefore the only sane response is to use it as early and often as possible. Expect to hear it as a paper-thin excuse from General Ripper, the Well-Intentioned Extremist, or the Social Darwinist as they sprint gleefully towards the Moral Event Horizon with the rest of the world in tow. If your protagonists are using this justification, you probably live in a Crapsack World, or at least a world of Black and Gray Morality. The title is, of course, a common subversion of The Golden Rule. Examples of Do Unto Others Before They Do Unto Us include: