Woher die Monster kommen (Where the monsters grow)

[matrixmann]

Worin liegt der Schlüssel zur Boshaftigkeit?
...In dem Moment, wenn du begreifst, dass du jemandem oder etwas alles antun kannst, was du willst, und niemand kommt, um dich dafür zu bestrafen. Egal wie grausam, unfair, ekelhaft, pervers, verächtlich oder unmenschlich es auch sein mag.

Wherein lies the key to malignity?
...The moment when you realize you can do anything that you want to anyone or anything and there's no-one coming up to punish you for what you've done. No matter how cruel, unfair, disgusting, perverted, despicable or inhuman it may be.

Comments

[mandarinsun.livejournal.com]

That's wrong. I've seen tens of thousands of children at schools. It isn't like they all hit and attack each other all the time, but lying and dishonesty is normal. At schools in poor areas, violence is much more common. I would say that children are only as non violent as they are because they know they'll be punished if they aren't. Children from nice neighborhoods only act well behaved because it would bring shame to their family and the schools have to lean on them hard to keep them in line.

I'd say out of 30 students, five are total reprobates that are not redeemable at all.

[matrixmann]

Children still are in the phase to learn what they can do and can't do, and if no ape properly shows them or emphasizes on showing them limits of what they can do, then it's internalized in their heads "I can get away with everything, actually".
The "actually" then only is due to, just as you say, people being around them and punishing them for it if they misbehave.
If there wasn't, they'd just do whatever they like and what brings up an advantage for them in their own thinking.

[onb2017.livejournal.com]

Agree, children are just learning what is wrong and right. People are not born with values right away.

[mandarinsun.livejournal.com]

Ah! but we were just talking on my page how Millennials don't grow up anymore and stay childish until they are in their 30s and maybe indefinitely!

[mandarinsun.livejournal.com]

I think a lot of it is that nowadays people grow up watching everything on screens, whether it is phones, tvs, laptops, etc..It is very difficult, and maybe impossible, to learn morality and empathy by staring at video. I also just was given a iphone within the last few months and have noticed that now sometimes teenagers or children just sort of appear in front of me to ask a question because I was looking at my phone and I wasn't really noticing them before. If someone grows up for years like that, you can see how a lack of empathy occurs.

Studies have shown that lack of empathy is something younger generations suffer from. It becomes narcissism. They can't picture how their actions effect someone else. Even thinking about how if you aren't paying for yourself, other people are suffering by paying for you is a lack of empathy problem.