"Why? Because, at bottom, there is a deep streak of sadism running through people. It runs through me, too! I can tell you, I have imagined torturing people who are egregious criminals--such as Hitler, or Saddam Hussien, or Charles Manson, or some smart aleck who pulls in front of me on the freeway--but in a country living under rule of law, we must not give into those urges ever." Eric Bergeson
11 comments:
Everyone has a sadistic streak in them, most of us are able to control it and let it remain a fantasy while others act upon it. As for getting cut up on the road, its drives me crazy and i do fantasise briefly about doing like in the films and coming alongside them and knocking them off the road. Haven't done it yet though.
i dunno, i can't remember ever wanting to f++k up anyone...not even my ex...not even the people who don't use the blinkers in their cars...well maybe men that beat women...i'd fuck them up...
but i will say that until cheny et al are locked up for war crimes i won't be a happy kitten...
I have never wanted to torture someone. Period. I have, however, in a hot moment wanted to kill certain horrible people, but quickly -- absolutely no screaming. I don't believe for one second that humans evolved to have a sadistic streak.
sadly, i do.
rodney king...the craigs list killer guy...the bible school teacher/murderess in tracy...my evil ex husband...on and on.
sadists are everywhere-even if you yourself are not sadistic.
makes me very very sad, and i don't think it's evolved, i think it's been built in since man began. the point is whether one acts on negative impulses. or not.
just attempting to speak about something that many of us don't want to look at.
Disturbing image, disturbing confession.
I think flipping the bird at a rude or careless driver is about as sadistic as I get. I feel bad after, because some days even the rudest driver can't get under my skin, but other days I'm more easily irritated. My reaction is always my responsibility, not the responsibility of the rude driver.
I can still be verbally violent, though, maybe even to the point of sadistic. I work on it. I abhor violence. Seen to damned much of it already.
I think you're on the money here, A. There's just too widespread and long history of human sadism to say that it is not in our genes. I have shameful memories of doing not very nice things to cats when I was a frickin' pre-schooler!! Where'd THAT come from at that tender age? But yes, we grow and grow up, and we know that those urges need to be controlled - if we have a conscience that is.
Maybe I have a different definition of sadism. I always understood it to mean deriving sexual pleasure from inflicting pain through cruelty and perversion. I think there is inherent competition for resources, and hence we have wars (even animals fight over territory and mates). But sadism? I might be compelled to hurt someone or even kill them for access to water or food, but I wouldn't torture them or find it sexually arousing to hurt them mercilessly.
I read an article recently that said most of human history in the past several thousand years has been dominated by psychopaths. It said that psychopaths are probably 12% of the population at any given time. The rest of us are just not in that category. It takes a particular mindset to laugh at Carla Fay Tucker while she is begging for mercy, whether she deserved that mercy or not. The capacity to be cruel is a very specific behavior.
Are we conflating sadism with any and all acts of violence?
BTW-- I am enjoying this discussion immensely.
me again =)
anyway, this morning i was listening to jakob dylan's latest cd - the aptly titled "seeing things", and it made me think of you, annie, cuz the opening track on the cd is called "evil is alive and well"...i would link it but you know i'm not that cool...but it would be great if you could post it along with this post...
so what is the moral of this comment? that you and the son of bob dylan think alike...great minds, and all that =)...
i love what robin andrea said...and here is the problem i have...when most of the sociopaths think they are the normal ones, where does that leave the rest of us?
thank you for that =)...
spent tonight with all my old pals who came from all points for the garden party tomorrow night...i'm gonna miss it...$$$ issues and what not...you never know, tho...
brutal honesty
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