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> … they inadvertently perpetuate the problem “Inadvertently”? Seldom.

shermantanktop 3mo ago
Do you think people look in the mirror and say “I’m going to be a terrible person today?” They look in the mirror and say “good job playing the hand you’re dealt - keep it up!” even while what they do is objectively terrible. Humans have an incredible capacity for rationalizing their own behavior.
- jagged-chisel 3mo ago
  That’s definitely not “inadvertent.”
  - IAmBroom 3mo ago
    It is. Everyone rationalizes their emotional responses. Hangry. Rush-hour impatience in traffic. If you can avoid it, never appear before a judge just before lunch or the end of the day.
    - bluefirebrand 3mo ago
      A response that needs to be rationalized is sort of by definition not inadvertent It might not be intentional but it's not inadvertent
- bluefirebrand 3mo ago
  > Do you think people look in the mirror and say “I’m going to be a terrible person today?” Not so directly, but I do think that a lot of people don't put any effort into being a good person. Think of the shopping cart problem. Good people return their shopping carts to the store or a cart return. Many people can't be bothered to do that. People think "oh I'm not bad for leaving my cart in a parking spot" they think "stealing or damaging a shopping cart is what bad people do" But they're still kinda bad people for not returning their carts. They're certainly choosing not to actively be good people.
  - shermantanktop 3mo ago
    They might agree that they would be a better person if they returned their shopping cart. But how many would sincerely state "I won't return the cart because I don't care about putting any effort into being a good person"? I'd bet you'd get a litany of complaints about the parking lot, the cart, the store, the weather, anything but their own decisions.
    - bluefirebrand 3mo ago
      Yeah. What it boils down is "I don't want to put in even a tiny effort or suffer any inconvenience to do a simple chore that helps other people" Which isn't something I think good people say
      - shermantanktop 3mo ago
        sure, but that's my point. People doing objectively bad things all day think they are doing just fine. It's the inverse of the essentialist fallacy. Faced with a bunch of evidence (if they cared to look) that they are consistently making life worse for themselves and everyone around them, their reaction is "I am not a bad person. I didn't even really do bad things, I just did the same stuff anyone else would do, plus it wasn't that bad, plus I like to think I'm awesome, so that's what I think." BTW I think this is an inherent human trait and I have it too. Some are just really good at it.
      - c22 3mo ago
        I think usually they say something like "I'd put it back but I'm late for my next appointment" or "I already buckled my kid in the car and I don't want to leave him," maybe some variation on "well they pay someone to come gather these up so I don't have to."
- Tangurena2 3mo ago
  > Do you think people look in the mirror and say “I’m going to be a terrible person today?” There are plenty of people who are motivated by hurting/harming their "enemies". You may have heard them brag "own the libs", or similar rhetoric, while doing something objectively terrible.

Do you think people look in the mirror and say “I’m going to be a terrible person today?” They look in the mirror and say “good job playing the hand you’re dealt - keep it up!” even while what they do is objectively terrible. Humans have an incredible capacity for rationalizing their own behavior.

jagged-chisel 3mo ago
That’s definitely not “inadvertent.”
- IAmBroom 3mo ago
  It is. Everyone rationalizes their emotional responses. Hangry. Rush-hour impatience in traffic. If you can avoid it, never appear before a judge just before lunch or the end of the day.
  - bluefirebrand 3mo ago
    A response that needs to be rationalized is sort of by definition not inadvertent It might not be intentional but it's not inadvertent
bluefirebrand 3mo ago
> Do you think people look in the mirror and say “I’m going to be a terrible person today?” Not so directly, but I do think that a lot of people don't put any effort into being a good person. Think of the shopping cart problem. Good people return their shopping carts to the store or a cart return. Many people can't be bothered to do that. People think "oh I'm not bad for leaving my cart in a parking spot" they think "stealing or damaging a shopping cart is what bad people do" But they're still kinda bad people for not returning their carts. They're certainly choosing not to actively be good people.
- shermantanktop 3mo ago
  They might agree that they would be a better person if they returned their shopping cart. But how many would sincerely state "I won't return the cart because I don't care about putting any effort into being a good person"? I'd bet you'd get a litany of complaints about the parking lot, the cart, the store, the weather, anything but their own decisions.
  - bluefirebrand 3mo ago
    Yeah. What it boils down is "I don't want to put in even a tiny effort or suffer any inconvenience to do a simple chore that helps other people" Which isn't something I think good people say
    - shermantanktop 3mo ago
      sure, but that's my point. People doing objectively bad things all day think they are doing just fine. It's the inverse of the essentialist fallacy. Faced with a bunch of evidence (if they cared to look) that they are consistently making life worse for themselves and everyone around them, their reaction is "I am not a bad person. I didn't even really do bad things, I just did the same stuff anyone else would do, plus it wasn't that bad, plus I like to think I'm awesome, so that's what I think." BTW I think this is an inherent human trait and I have it too. Some are just really good at it.
    - c22 3mo ago
      I think usually they say something like "I'd put it back but I'm late for my next appointment" or "I already buckled my kid in the car and I don't want to leave him," maybe some variation on "well they pay someone to come gather these up so I don't have to."
Tangurena2 3mo ago
> Do you think people look in the mirror and say “I’m going to be a terrible person today?” There are plenty of people who are motivated by hurting/harming their "enemies". You may have heard them brag "own the libs", or similar rhetoric, while doing something objectively terrible.