Board Thread:Warhammer 40k General Discussion/@comment-2253300-20130211000751/@comment-6134883-20130409150247

Callummacdonald79 wrote: the masses suffer, in the name of survival, but is simply surviving worth such a base existence? and it's not just the state of the galaxy that has caused this state of affairs but the imperiums choice to be psychotically xenophobic and seeing themselves as the 'rightful' masters of the galaxy is hubris of the highest degree. Survival may not be the only thing but it is the first thing. There is no question but survival could be secured at a lesser cost if there was somebody capable of flexible thinking at the head of the Imperium instead of dogmatic lockstep followers. Which would be the case if Empy hadn't made such a mess of things at the beginning.

As for the xenophobia:

The Eldar are arrogant SOBs who created their own Chaos god and look down on lesser beings like us - and that's the ones who haven't given in to Chaos!

Orks are a mean, green killing machine.

Tau talk a nice line about 'the Greater Good' but I suspect are no better than the Imperium to live under.

Tyranids want to eat us

Necrons want to kill us

Seems to me xenophobia is not entirely unjustified. However you are absolutely right about the Hubris - and where did we get it from? Empy that's who!