No, that's not silly at all to ask. It's good to ponder, especially if you've experienced "meanness" from other people.
If an adult is mean to a child, it is usually because he/she is throwing around their "power." They know that this child is helpless and has no other recourse but to take their crap. It gives the adult the feeling of uniqueness in what they mind find weak in themselves otherwise.
If an adult is mean to another adult, this is usually the same case; usurping their power/authority over another to make up for the inner weakness they really feel inside.
There is no reason on this earth that we cannot be courteous to one nother. We do not need to be rude, use profane language at another, or be unkind to one another. Our behavior does change, however, if we feel someone has heaved unkindness on us. Then, we feel compelled to heave it back and that's when you find "meanness" coming out in a person.
If you've had a relative that others have deemed "just mean" or hornery, it's the low self-esteem in that person. If you've seen the bully at school pick on others, it's the same thing - he just doesn't feel good about himself (or has someone at home bullying him and needs to punish someone else for that treatment) and needs to be mean to someone else to "pick himself" back up. It's ridiculous, but you see it all the time.
People who have a tendency to be mean to others simply have not learned how to deal with their own insecurities; therefore they take a lot of their ill feelings out on others. This helps to account for some of their being mean to others.
2006-11-12 04:56:04
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answer #1
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answered by terryoulboub 5
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Its like a catch-22, people are mean because people have been mean to them and it is a reflex for protection. Thats why you can start a nice chain of events by being nice to one person and that person will be more likely to be nice to the next and so on.
2006-11-12 12:49:50
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answer #2
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answered by radiancia 6
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What happened to you that makes you feel this way. People are like animals, sometimes if you enter their land they get mean. I try to be as nice as possible because not very many people are. When I start to ask the guy behind the Subway counter how his day is, he looks very shocked. Pass a smile on...
2006-11-12 12:50:55
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answer #3
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answered by Anonymous
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Radian is correct, it is a defense mechanism. And he/she also has a great idea of doing good. Not only is it more likely to get passed on, what it does for the person who did the good deed is immeasurable. Pay it forward!
2006-11-12 12:51:42
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answer #4
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answered by finaldx 7
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I think when people have lost their vision, their sense of living for something bigger than themselves, societies start turning mean. This is in spite of those who bang their religious drum the loudest. They are actually a sign that it is happening and they contribute to the decay by adding to the level of intolerance, fear and suspicion.
2006-11-12 12:52:25
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answer #5
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answered by Isis 7
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To answer your question. All people are not mean.In my past experience I met people who went out of their way to give me a hand. I don't think its just to categorise. Maybe you just didn't happen to ran across the right people. After all, we receive what we give.
2006-11-12 13:00:54
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answer #6
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answered by nhadab1 1
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