What pleasure do people actually derive by making fun of others?

Answer 1

Many people make fun of others for some to all of the following reasons:
1. because they are imitating what they have observed someone else doing and they conform IN ORDER TO BE ACCEPTED by their hateful peers
2. because they want to direct negative attention away from themselves and MINIMIZE THEIR OWN FAULTS and shortcomings. (This is sometimes called a "smoke-screen" tactic or "projection" in psychological terminology.)
3. to achieve a SENSE OF CONTROL and judgement over others.
This is ineffective because most people who make fun of others will also make fun of YOU, calling negative attention to someone else has no influence on one's own faults and the control one exerts over another by sadism and ridicule is negligible in socially and psychologically sound individuals. Therefore, any pleasure will certainly, be short-lived.

Answer 2

I think some do it for mere comic relief. Then there are the ones who try to hurt and insult others in order to make themeslves feel better. (Im going to make you feel small so I can feel big). I used to have this boss who was fat and lazy, always making others do work she was too lazy to do while her business was crumbling around her. I would do a bunch of free extra work for her to help out and she would respond by ridcuing the work, and calling me a type A person, and an egomaniac. Teasing is another thing, and usually is a warped way of showing love. I see a lot of "for fun" teasing that is really just immature ways of creating comeraderie. Humans are wierd creatures. We dont always mean what we say or say what we mean.

Answer 3

Actually these people are easy to spot.
Society is populated by many, many personality disorders.
Its not unusual to find a lack of empathy for others among young adolescents. The personality is mired in growth at a young age and a sense of justice and compassion are developed slowly in these types.
Intellectually and socially mature people can identify psychologically and physiologically challenged peers without judgemental emotion clouding their social responses.
Those who, in adulthood, have reached an adolescent plateau, of maturity, tend to demonstrate lack of empathy well into their middle age, but, those are few...as most people mature beyond a one dimentional view of social interaction (we derive no pleasure in making fun ot others ...its cruel and attaches too much importance to the self).
In conclusion, on a simple personal note, I never felt comfortable making fun of anyone who I identified as socially or psychologically disadvantaged. Even at the age of 3 I remember instances, when meeting new friends, where I recognized physical and mental differentiation; however, I felt ashamed to point out our differences in any manner that suggested superiority. Of course, I didn't take kindly to those that pointed out any inferiority in me vs. them. So it was painful to me to suffer those that attempted to make me feel inferior. I surmised that I did not desire to be responsible for making anyone else feel the pain I felt except those who attempted to belittle me. I felt, like anyone else, little guilt in using judgemental pain on others trying its use against me.
Now, I express my pain of differentiation in a more acceptable manner without causing pain in another in retrobution.
As a benefit, I meet more people who feel like me in social relationships.
I feel enriched as a fellow human being at my present age, but, I still feel quite inferior to people like Einstein, Hawkins and many others that have demonstrated a far healthier existence than I have, so far.
I always have hope.

Answer 4

really when people make fun of others they are insecure about themselves and it makes them feel better

Answer 5

people that make fun of others, are upset with them selves and need to put down others, so they themselves feel better about there selves......these people need to find them selves

Answer 6

all these answers so far are good. i don't know which is the most accurate though. maybe we should ask this guy....

http://answers.yahoo.com/my/profile;_ylt=AoJOFV.iSKFDeWZrQfyS6toezKIX?show=e6333654cddfaa7a810635049c052631aa

he's as nasty as they get. he's lost 55 points in one week but has only asked one question. i love reporting this guy for abuse. it makes him more angry.

Answer 7

i think they are insecure themselves so to not draw attention to themselves they make fun of others insecurities.

Answer 8

well good and evil are everywhere so u dont need to take things at heart, especially such stupid things

Answer 9

Nothing to gain by doing it.

Answer 10

a sick, twisted kind of pleasure