Why do you think people take pleasure in hurting others?

Question

I am talking about hurting indirectly, via mean jokes... a specialty of Anglo-Saxon cultural zone!
This kind of joking is often percieved by the other cultures as aggressive and rude. Why do we expect others to understand sarcasm, when, in reality, sarcasm is nothing more than an early sign of mental sickness???

Some do that even when they mean it in a friendly way. Cultural misperception, narrow-mindedness??? What is it?

The truth is that I have also encountered people from several backgrounds but such jokes I got... only from Anglo-Saxonia!
mitch, you are a great analyst. I must admit, as I look at your remarks... that I was doing exactly that thing: SPREAD!
I am sorry. If there was a way to change the question without deleting your valuable answer, I would reformulate it, asap! I will keep that in mind for next time, definitely.

Now, the answerer with the Alice, Valerie and Katrina story got much much closer to the truth, I think!!!
However, once and again: meanness is not justified and I still consider it an early sign of mental sickness - this time applied to the one person who is doing it!
All my apolgies to the cultural group where that person belongs to.

Answer 1

1. What you are speaking of, in Psychology, is a term referred to as 'Spread'. You are spreading specific experiences to a whole culture of people.

2. Living in a cultural melting pot — LA, I have mixed and mingled with many cultures and classes of people.

3. What I have found is that all cultures have their mean jokes, or expressions of exclusion, but not 100% of all people resort to that sordid form of communication.

4. Perhaps, you need to change the circles you are moving in, so that you will encounter polite people. I avoid mean people at all costs. I don't want them wasting a precious moment of my life.

5. You have never hurt anyone unintentionally with something you said unthinkingly, right? Those people fall into another category — naive, but once they realize what they did, they get it and change their behavior so as not to hurt anyone.

6. Now, rewrite your question and substitute your ethnicity instead of 'Anglo-Saxon'. Read your question. The question is hurtful using words to describe an ethnicity as "aggressive and rude...sarcasm...mental sickness".

7. See what I mean? It doesn't feel like a nice question.

8. I think you are a nice person, but you've come up against some mean people and need to steer clear before you end up believing that all 'Anglo-Saxons', if indeed they are, are all mean.

Good luck and warm regards.

Answer 2

If they do it, just because they can, they have major issues with themselves... and by downing others, they feel higher because the more they down another, the less they think about their own issue (at the time). Even though it comes back to haunt them, they comtinue to do it as if it was an addiction because it's how they vent out. It's sad, but many people do it. I had it done to me so bad when I was in school, that I eventually got beaten up. When I told my mom and dad, they'd say that these students had (a) problem(s) with themselves. I never believed them until one day I graduated... some of these students changed their attitudes and became better people; some dropped out, did drugs, got pregnant, became homeless, or even died. No Joke- I've ran into many that have harmed me that went down hill- I mean FAR DOWN.

I've also went to college- one of the students, Valerie*, said things to be nice and threw me off and offended me or made me look stupid. I could never figure out why... then, one day, I asked her 1 of her 2 best friend, class mates, Alice*, what job she had, she told me (with a hint) and said it was private. I knew EXACTLY what that job was by that hint. Then, some of the other students asked Alice*, Valerie*, and the 3rd girl, Katrina*, what job they had. The 3 told some of the students it was private, and the other students what the job was... and the reason why Valerie* was nice "in a mean way" was because I had it easier than she did, AND she was ashamed of herself for what she was doing. I know that because within time, it showed.

Answer 3

Some people have little or no self esteem or confidence and therefore they strike out and attack others because they believe that that makes them look better in someones eyes , not realizing how much to the contrary that act says about them .
Some are just hateful and get their kicks that way .
P.S. I also try myself not to make generalizations about any groups of people .
I am an individual not part of any group !

Answer 4

It is our self-centered sin nature - helps us to feel superior to others.
You are right - it very unhealthy and a sign of pride and immaturity .

Don't need it!! But it is prevalent.