I’ve listened to this episode several times and have some weird block about writing this post and getting this blog started. I’ll flesh this out more, but here something for the sake of getting it live.
This episode was crazy interesting to me. I didn’t know any of it beforehand. Hitler was a weird young dude—in a fedora and starting fights with a bullwhip and rambling a lot about the Jews. He fell in love with a girl he’d never talked to and stayed in love for years and never managed to talk to her. An early wayward incel story. I believe Robert mentioned a book he used for a lot of the source material and I really want to read it.
I love the personality type he builds over the coming episodes of, I believe, almost all dictators. Abused as children, yearning but lacking positive attention from their father. Often charismatic, at least in their political lives and occasionally in their personal lives. I think their unique kind of genius was recognized by many at a young age. Often (but not always) had a reputation for being a jerk in their social circles. Often grew up in a period of upheaval and political violence. I always assumed dictators were mostly sociopaths, but had no idea they had a full predictable psych profile from a young