Re:They Thought They Were Free, by Milton Mayer, an Excerpt
by noduerme on Thursday February 06, 2025 @04:39AM
(#42960709)
There is a theory, and it's called sadistic child abuse. Maybe optimistically only 20% of people who had wicked and abusive parents grow up to take that sadism out on others. But they have a draw on their peers, as sociopaths, enticing them to indulge in or excuse sadistic acts. And of course they perpetuate it through violence on their own children. Once they reach a critical mass in a society, you have Russia.
If they do it but they're not quite aware of it, and think they're teaching children a lesson, then you have Germany.
And if they do it because they're saving their children's souls, you have red state America.
Of course, it's abuse, a psychotic perversion dressed up as a social norm. But the point is it's contagious.
Why are some people willing to be so evil.
I think we tell ourselves it’s environment or inequity or education… but the older I get, the more I think there is a kind of lack of conscientiousness that most people have, and that they are decent folks is only that they have something to lose.
Unless a theory can explain the prevalence of litter, which should effectively never happen based on most criteria, than that theory of why bad things happen is insufficient.