The careerist and the collaborator

In Eichmann in Jerusalem, Hannah Arendt identified two main struts in every regime of fear: careerists, who think about the cost of every action to their ambitions and aspirations; and collaborators, who cooperate with regimes, often under the belief that they have no other choice. These are different types: the careerist is an impresario of his own ascent; the collaborator, a depressive presiding over his descent. But both are critical to the operation of the regime. For each type, Arendt had some thoughts. For the careerist: “What for Eichmann was a job, with its daily routine, its ups and downs, was for the Jews quite literally the end of the world.” “Except for an extraordinary diligence in looking out for […]