Someone in my family once said to me that being nice must mean that I don't get what I want.
2006-07-26 16:20:31 · 23 answers · asked by cancerman 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
It depends on where you are in life. It seems as though people in high positions (think Miranda in Devil Wears Prada) get more done by being a little mean in order to motivate inferiors to get the job done and done right, since those people will often be eager to please the boss. However, people in lower positions would have a more difficult time getting by being mean, since they'll want to appeal to their superiors in order to get promotions and raises; they'll also want their co-workers to like them in order to work well in teams.
2006-07-26 16:26:24 · answer #1 · answered by Joy M 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
A nice person wins in so many different ways. First of all, people generally want to help a nice person out more than a jerk. Jerks push their way through life offending people while nice people would rather not offend. Usually being mean doesn't' save a person anything. They may get something they want, but their reputation is worth more than the stuff they get. I appreciate nice people.
2006-07-26 23:27:19 · answer #2 · answered by Grog The Fish 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ideally your purpose for being kind would not be to see what you can get out of it.
Kindness for its own sake is beneficial to both the giver and the recipient, so people should try to be kind to others, expecting no reward.
Besides, if someone uses meanness to get things it may work for a short while, but most people try to avoid someone who behaves that way so it's not a good long-term plan. And that's not even taking into account the fact that it's harmful to all parties involved.
2006-07-27 00:26:27 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you seek instant gratification, then being a bully works pretty well. Most of the time, if you are just a little louder, a little snottier, and use your fk-you eyes, people appear to see things your way; yet, at the same time, they are cursing you in their head and will have little to do with you afterward. However, time has taught me a valuable lesson: if you are truly kind to people--if you are empathetically, genuinely kind, you get the greatest gift in return: the love of others. When you are truly loved, everything you want has a way of coming to you. What more is there to life than to love and be loved?
2006-07-26 23:48:22 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You already have recieved lots of answers but I thought I'd add mine anyway.
When you are mean you get emmediate results, therefore leading to getting what you want, and getting it at a faster rate, which will lead you to be able to be mean again in a very short amount of time to get more results.
Being nice takes a lot more time to get results back from that you want or expect. It takes patience, diligence and commitment. But once it is established with someone all their acts towards you are done the way you'd like or expect them to be, therefore, you don't even have to be mean or nice to get what you want, you've already established that with this person.
It's BETTER to be nice,
It's EASIER to be mean.
Take your pick.
2006-07-27 01:41:23 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Game theory tells us that it depends on your environment. If you are in an environment of mean people and you are kind, then you will be disadvantaged. If you are mean in an environment where everyone is kind, then you will be able to take advantage of everyone. If you are kind in a kind environment, then everyone will likely be advantaged.
The more detailed models of cooperation tell us, that if you are a bully (meaning that you trick others into believing you are mean enough to get your way without being mean) then you are the most likely to succeed.
2006-07-27 01:54:45 · answer #6 · answered by One & only bob 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Being nice and a good person will always reward you somehow, just like being mean will end up biting you at some point.
Be nice, just dealing with someone who can smile makes my day better!
2006-07-26 23:25:15 · answer #7 · answered by Oracle at Delphi 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think you get much more when you're being nice. If you act nice to people, people will act nice to you.
By being mean, you might sometimes get what you want, but you'll end up losing all your friends, whereas when you're kind, you might not get everything every time, but in the longer run, you'll end up getting much more.
2006-07-26 23:25:56 · answer #8 · answered by a b 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you have to be nice but still do mean things to get what you want. like using people and lying and that kind of thing which is very mean but you can still be nice while you do it
2006-07-26 23:25:30 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think being nice means that you are good person and can be nice or kind, even if you know that it does not come back always good way.
when you can do things not for geting something, but just for doing good :)
2006-07-27 08:30:23 · answer #10 · answered by nini 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋