The people the government derives it’s power from the consent of

Do a headcount of which citizens are on which side. Rationality and empathy exist in bubbles, not a sea. Most of the population is really just that plain dumb and/or sadistic and apparently has grown in numbers and magnitude since last time. The side you’re rooting for also will almost always pull their punches whereas the other side simply doesn’t. Give me a deus ex machina fairy tale dream to cling onto because those in power with the big guns and tanks and bombs lust for hurting people and they’ve got the majority of the masses tricked into happily getting themselves and others trampled upon.