Quote:
Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard
I can see why that would be the case but it takes a certain lack of humanity to throw rocks at someone with the intent to kill them. The only real explanation that I could come up with to describe this widespread behaviour is a mob mentality where no one is responsible, the group is responsible, and when the group is made up of thousands of people how can you really blame a single person for the actions of such a vast number. It can be seen all the time in riots where people who normally wouldn't act in an aggressive manner would break objects and attack people just because they could.
Still though one would like to think that with certain exceptions people would have some inner good despite their upbringing.
|
The mob mentality probably has something to do with it, but I'm sure it happens at an individual level as well.. the thing is you are benefiting from being in a culture that has had its consciousness raised by ideas like basic human rights and the like... if you were in a culture that had no concept of it, you would probably make different decisions. Your supposed family honour would be more important to you than any person's life.
Everyone used to think slavery was perfectly fine, now few of us do. Burning a witch at the stake was after torturing a confession out of her was completely rational (if she doesn't confess, she's guilty. if we torture a confession out of her, she's guilty).
It took extraordinary people to to extraordinary things to get us past those things.