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I don't tend to frame anyone as good or evil. My judgement is more about whether their actions harm others or do not. In my experience, the majority of people

I don't tend to frame anyone as good or evil. My judgement is more about whether their actions harm others or do not. In my experience, the majority of people generally don't want to cause harm to others, or don't knowingly intend to. They often do because they are ignorant of how harmful their actions can be (IMO the most common cause of people harming each other), or they may be desperate (as someone in an adjacent comment touched on homelessness/hunger/illness). It's funny, I've watched these documentaries about this guy going about seeing what kind of scams are ongoing in major cities. Pickpockets, taxis ripping off customers, vendors giving counterfeit change... The guy confronts them and asks them to explain their scheme. Almost universally the thief/scam artist/whatever justifies their actions: "I have to feed my family!" .. These people aren't evil, they're desperate. Of course there are definitely some real straight-up colossally destructive people out there who engage in seriously despicable acts. I still can't bring myself to call it "evil". I'd rather just understand it (and know how to avoid it). I mean, I was picturing like murderers when I wrote that, but then I realized it equally applies to say, bloodthirsty dictators, or someone who decides to raise a $12 medication to $750. It doesn't help much to label it as evil, but it does help my understanding of the world in which I live to at least try to make sense of it. It's not like they have a little demon on their shoulder. I don't have a perfect thesis here but I wanted to share my thoughts on that topic.

vichle 3y ago
Most "evil" acts are in fact just selfish. To truly classify something as evil, there needs to be an intent to cause harm. I'd also argue that desperation is a subset of selfishness.
eilefsen 3y ago
I feel like a lot of petty crime (like shoplifting and such), is not directly caused by desparation, but a kind of contempt. Their community failed to make them feel provided for and included, therefore what they are doing is okay: they are only taking what they are “owed”. It’s not necessarily that they are evil or even that desperate, but rather that their previous interactions with society gave them a warped sense of justice, in which selfish behaviour and stealing is good (when they do it). You often see this with turnstile jumpers. It’s not that they cant afford the ticket, they just think it should have been free to begin with. its mostly an act of contempt. “I have to feed my family” is rarely the actual motivation, especially in developed countries.
- amatecha 3y ago
  Oh yeah, I didn't dive deep enough into it but yeah, there's absolutely that aspect of feeling "owed" or otherwise not having sympathy for those they are taking from. Sometimes there's a "I need it more than they do", or "they can easily afford to replace it", or less charitably there can be more of a "they deserve to have their stuff taken", "they're part of the system that ruined my life", a mindset of resentment and entitlement...

vichle 3y ago

Most "evil" acts are in fact just selfish. To truly classify something as evil, there needs to be an intent to cause harm. I'd also argue that desperation is a subset of selfishness.

eilefsen 3y ago

I feel like a lot of petty crime (like shoplifting and such), is not directly caused by desparation, but a kind of contempt. Their community failed to make them feel provided for and included, therefore what they are doing is okay: they are only taking what they are “owed”. It’s not necessarily that they are evil or even that desperate, but rather that their previous interactions with society gave them a warped sense of justice, in which selfish behaviour and stealing is good (when they do it). You often see this with turnstile jumpers. It’s not that they cant afford the ticket, they just think it should have been free to begin with. its mostly an act of contempt. “I have to feed my family” is rarely the actual motivation, especially in developed countries.

amatecha 3y ago
Oh yeah, I didn't dive deep enough into it but yeah, there's absolutely that aspect of feeling "owed" or otherwise not having sympathy for those they are taking from. Sometimes there's a "I need it more than they do", or "they can easily afford to replace it", or less charitably there can be more of a "they deserve to have their stuff taken", "they're part of the system that ruined my life", a mindset of resentment and entitlement...