Little Eichmanns

Little Eichmanns is an expression used to describe how everyday people can be involved in an activity or system without realizing the great harm that it is doing. It comes from a quote by the philosopher Noam Chomsky who, when talking about Nazis and those responsible for the Holocaust, said people can act as "little Eichmanns" if they are a part of a system that perpetuates evil without realizing it. It's like the story of the boy who put his finger in the dam. Even though he was just one person, his tiny contribution was enough to make a big difference in the outcome. Similarly, people can unknowingly contribute to what may seem like a small problem, which, when put together with millions of other people's small contributions, can have a huge and negative effect.