Evil is Easy to Spot; Evil is Ugly

March 4, 2026

Too much time is wasted debating whether or not good and evil are tangible, objective forces in our lives. Let’s not overcomplicate things: evil is a destructive force, and good is a constructive force. What does evil look like? How can we identify and subsequently avoid evil? To me, evil is instantly recognizable by its distinctly ‘ugly’ essence. Evil is offensive to the senses–it is something annoying and piercing.

That hideous public art installation funded by your local government? Evil.

That person who looks like a cartoon depiction of a villain? Evil.

That music using disruptive frequencies and degenerate, suggestive lyrics? Evil.

Spotting evil is easy–do not be deceived by those preaching ‘nuance’ when it comes to matters of public ease and aesthetic flow. Do not cower in light of these ugly things—confidently call them out for what they are: cultural, sensory degradation. All things made public are fairly open to public scrutiny—the more we ignore ugliness, the more it festers, and the more it corrupts that which is too uninspired to create itself. So, if something is clearly ugly, it is evil; if it is pleasantly enriching, it is good and beautiful.

I’m reminded of a quote from author Roald Dahl that I will leave you with:

“If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until you can hardly bear to look at it.

A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”