textualdeviance (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
textualdeviance) wrote2004-12-13 11:45 pm
textualdeviance) wrote2004-12-13 11:45 pm
>.
Why are people so goddamned self-centered these days? No one gives the slightest thought to whether their words or actions have the potential to hurt someone, and when it's pointed out that they have done so, they balk and act like THEY'RE the ones being hurt by not being allowed to ride all over someone else.
I don't get it. I fully understand that sometimes people make mistakes and don't forsee how what they do could cause harm. I also understand that there are plenty of cases where the benefit to one person or the greater good greatly outweighs the harm to someone else, and compromises can't be reached. But I don't understand why some people feel it's necessary to deliberately do something they know can hurt someone, or refuse to apologize when they've mistakenly done so.
Why do people get off on hurting others or watching other people get hurt? Aren't we more evolved than this? I can understand a bit of Schadenfreude watching someone who is misusing power get taken down a notch or two, but that's not what I see happening lately. I see people getting off on bullying-- on actually picking on people who are weaker or more disadvantaged than them. I realize that watching others suffer has a certain cathartic and stress release value, but why can't we limit that to fictional or at least consentual contexts? Shouldn't we have gotten past gladiator sports?
Such things have always happened, of course, but I had hoped that, given the recent trajectory in human social evolution, we would be moving away from such barbarian nastiness, but instead we're regressing. It's no longer even socially condemed to bully, to gain on the broken backs of others, to glee in watching the innocent suffer. In fact, in some situations, it's actually considered a virtue to be as mean and nasty as you possibly can.
Obviously we're all scared, and fear leads people to strike first lest they be struck, but I don't quite get why people are striking out at people who pose no threat to them. Is it just trying to assure one's place is high in the pecking order? Or are we just a generation of sociopaths with no sense of empathy?
Where is the leadership on this? Where are the parents teaching their kids to play nice and share and don't hit? Where are the teachers telling kids to be courteous, polite and mindful of others? Have we really gone so feral that even our leaders no longer care to set positive examples for kids to treat others with kindness and consideration? Is it because we have a President who sets an example that it's okay to slaughter innocents for the sake of money and power? Is it because religious leaders no longer follow the teachings of The Wise, and instead use The Wise as mere figureheads to control others? Is it because the political party in power would rather greedily hoard their ill-gotten wealth while forcing the people who helped them make it into uninsured wage slavery than give up 1% more of their income to taxes?
Surely this can't be our future. Surely there must be more who care about others, who care about making a positive difference, who are willing to make small personal sacrifices for the benefit of other people. Who aren't so afraid of losing "theirs" to share with someone else. I have to hope there are. Because I refuse to give in to the groupthink that tells me I have to be rotten to other people in order to survive.
I don't get it. I fully understand that sometimes people make mistakes and don't forsee how what they do could cause harm. I also understand that there are plenty of cases where the benefit to one person or the greater good greatly outweighs the harm to someone else, and compromises can't be reached. But I don't understand why some people feel it's necessary to deliberately do something they know can hurt someone, or refuse to apologize when they've mistakenly done so.
Why do people get off on hurting others or watching other people get hurt? Aren't we more evolved than this? I can understand a bit of Schadenfreude watching someone who is misusing power get taken down a notch or two, but that's not what I see happening lately. I see people getting off on bullying-- on actually picking on people who are weaker or more disadvantaged than them. I realize that watching others suffer has a certain cathartic and stress release value, but why can't we limit that to fictional or at least consentual contexts? Shouldn't we have gotten past gladiator sports?
Such things have always happened, of course, but I had hoped that, given the recent trajectory in human social evolution, we would be moving away from such barbarian nastiness, but instead we're regressing. It's no longer even socially condemed to bully, to gain on the broken backs of others, to glee in watching the innocent suffer. In fact, in some situations, it's actually considered a virtue to be as mean and nasty as you possibly can.
Obviously we're all scared, and fear leads people to strike first lest they be struck, but I don't quite get why people are striking out at people who pose no threat to them. Is it just trying to assure one's place is high in the pecking order? Or are we just a generation of sociopaths with no sense of empathy?
Where is the leadership on this? Where are the parents teaching their kids to play nice and share and don't hit? Where are the teachers telling kids to be courteous, polite and mindful of others? Have we really gone so feral that even our leaders no longer care to set positive examples for kids to treat others with kindness and consideration? Is it because we have a President who sets an example that it's okay to slaughter innocents for the sake of money and power? Is it because religious leaders no longer follow the teachings of The Wise, and instead use The Wise as mere figureheads to control others? Is it because the political party in power would rather greedily hoard their ill-gotten wealth while forcing the people who helped them make it into uninsured wage slavery than give up 1% more of their income to taxes?
Surely this can't be our future. Surely there must be more who care about others, who care about making a positive difference, who are willing to make small personal sacrifices for the benefit of other people. Who aren't so afraid of losing "theirs" to share with someone else. I have to hope there are. Because I refuse to give in to the groupthink that tells me I have to be rotten to other people in order to survive.
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and thanks for posting this. ♥
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It's sad, I suppose. Because it's so obvious to me that most of those people out there slinging arrows are doing it because they're aching for something and are too afraid of getting an arrow themselves to just ask for it.
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But as it turns out, most people are stupid.
No, you don't have to be rotten to other people. Surprise surprise. In fact, be unique. DON'T be rotten.