Each side thinks the other side is the bad side, the evil ones.
Each side thinks that THEY are the good ones.
How to know?
You need to understand the history of civilization to answer the question.
In all of civilization, kings and rulers have used their subjects to get the results that the king wanted.
Attila the Hun killed his brother to gain sole power. Used his subjects to invade and conquer Rome, killing hundreds of thousands. The reward for the soldiers? Hahahahaha.
Same with Kings in Europe, the Middle East, China and so forth.
The Emperor of Japan only stopped causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of Japanese when it was made clear that HIS position would be protected. Otherwise, fvck the common citizen.
Stalin, Hitler - same.
The first rights forced out of the ruler and onto the common man was with the Magna Carta enacted under threat of civil war (meaning cutting the head of the king off). By declaring the
sovereign to be subject to the
rule of law and documenting the liberties held by “free men,” the Magna Carta provided the foundation for individual rights in Anglo-American
jurisprudence.
That is the first time in recorded history that the common citizen forced his rights.
The real "government with the consent of the governed" occurred when our forefathers, via bloodshed, forced the British to accept their independence.
The rulers were different this time - a temporary set of rulers, coming from the common citizenry and REPRESENTING the interests of their people for a brief period. What followed was 200+ years of individual liberty and freedom. One mistake was made - slaves were not considered people and as such did not have individual liberty and freedom - a true moral failing.
From that revolution, a benign empire grew. That empire fought off Germany, forced the Japanese to surrender, and defeated communism. In each instance, did that benign empire enslave or rule the defeated adversaries? No. In each instance, the PEOPLE of those countries were left off better than before the Americans came. They were given a system of government similar to America - a government FOR, not OF, the people.
In each instance above, the "ruler" sought to consolidate power in a central location, ruling from afar. He killed rivals and crushed dissent.
Only in America did the rulers decline to be the king. George Washington stepped down as president, saying he did not fight to depose a king so he could become one himself. He retired to regular citizenship until his last days.
And so, the answer is clear:
You will know the bad guys as those who seek to expand centralized power and exempt themselves from the laws they put upon their subjects. Their behavior will be similar to those mentioned earlier - Caesar, William the Conquerer, etc.
You will know the good guys as those who seek to further the interest of the common citizen even against their own interests. They will behave as Washington and Jefferson.
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