Adolf Hitler
(evil)
Karl Marx
(somewhat evil)
Groucho Marx
(good)
Friedrich Nietzsche
(beyond good and evil)
Vladimir Lenin
(evil)
Bartolomeo Venzetti
(possibly evil)
Albert Einstein
(not evil)
Saddam Hussein
(evil)
Putting the Black Mustache Theory of Evil to the Test
Originally just a humorous component of my application to get into Vanderbilt's McGill dorm, I've since read that some people have put forth the hypothesis that it's not just coincidence that so many dictators are mustached: "Dictators often employ doubles to perform for them when they are too busy, or to draw the fire of assassins. It has been suggested that one reason charismatic leaders so often sport mustaches... is to make it easier for doubles to impersonate them. Mussolini's shaven head perhaps served the same purpose." (From Unweaving the Rainbow, by Richard Dawkins, 1998, First Mariner Books Ed., p. 87)
|
Adolf Hitler (evil) |
Karl Marx (somewhat evil) |
|
Groucho Marx (good) |
Friedrich Nietzsche (beyond good and evil) |
|
Vladimir Lenin (evil) |
Bartolomeo Venzetti (possibly evil) |
|
Albert Einstein (not evil) |
Saddam Hussein (evil) |
Conclusion: While a black mustache indicates a high probability of evil, it is not a 100% accurate predictor.