flummery

There is an episode of Star Trek, Next Gen, where an alien, driven insane with grief by the loss of his wife, destroys an attacking invasion force. His power is such that he doesn't stop there:

"You don't understand the scope of my crime. I didn't kill just one Husnok, or a hundred or a thousand. I killed them all. All Husnok... everywhere."

If I were to kill, say, all stupid customers, everywhere, would I feel such guilt and remorse? I do not think so. Oh, sure, maybe later, a couple thousand years or so in the future, as I was sitting around having a drink with friends, I might suddenly feel a pang. But really. Probably not.

( Why Customers Should Not Be Allowed Too Much Power )