If you don’t agree with the concept of good or bad people, you dont have to answer just down vote. If you think a person is good or bad based on where they were born and live you don’t have to answer just down vote.
Empathy
Yep. Real fucking easy answer for me.
If someone tells you a story about how they lost their dog, if that person tries to one-up them, dismiss them, or hurts them… They’re a bad person. No negotiation.
It’s all about empathy. If they lack empathy or kindness then fuck them. I don’t want them in my life and I prefer not to interact with them.
Thats fair
One of my tests as I’ve grown older is whether or not that person is capable of treating someone else’s children as their own.
Both my father and step father did, so I didn’t realize how rare of an attribute this is, nor did I realize how evil not having this attribute can make some seemingly good people behave.
Through their actions.
Most people are good. Most people forget to be kind to others sometimes.
Some people forget to be kind to others more. I kinda don’t like that.
Some people need to cause others discomfort to feel like they are in control of their lives. I dislike that.
Some people feel that they have the right to or even should cause others discomfort because they have some kind of birthright granted by their religion, how aggressive their ancestors were, or some perception that they’ve worked harder than others. I feel that such people should either be rigorously reeducated or in some way removed from access to other humans entirely.
This might be a hot take. I have a hard time with people who constantly drives above the speed limit. To me it says a lot about who they are.
E.g.
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they believe that rules don’t apply to them
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that they are egoistic
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that they are reckless and can’t foresee the potential consequences.
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that they lack empathy
I think this one depends on which country you’re in. Speed limits here in the US are artificially low. There is an unspoken agreement that everyone goes 5-10 over. I go to Ireland once every couple years and the speed limits on the rural back roads are more like the actual physical limit. Like 80 kph on a winding one lane road that’s barely paved. I’ve tried to reach the speed limit before and it didn’t feel safe at all.
I believe you’re right. In Denmark the speed limit on highways are 130 km/h and limited to 110 km/h near the larger cities. Country roads have limits of 80 km/h, some 90 km/h and some 70 km/h.
Driving 150 km/h on the highway is not safe, when everyone else is driving 130. And most of our highways only have two lanes in each direction.
The speed limit is also typically 80km/h on these barely paved roads in Denmark.
Funny enough I have a hard time with people who drive at the speed limit, for the exact same reasons.
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The book “Sapiens” does a good job framing this. Humans are social creatures. Our social groups define their own norms, mores, values, etc. To be “good” is to align with those values. Clashes happen when groups with vastly different values interact. The old adage “if you were born where they were born, and you were raised how they were raised, then you would believe what they believe” applies here, even though this isn’t always true.
The Internet makes this problem more stark. Our groups aren’t based on location anymore; our neighborhood, our school, our church. We can find our group(s) that align with and reinforce us any time we want. It’s also upset the typical way we define our values, and our society is struggling to catch up.
So long way of saying, good or bad relies on context and the values of those you’re close with.
But fuck people who don’t return their shopping cart. They’re just plain bad.
Removed by mod
Everybody has the capacity to be an asshole once in a while. To asshole is human.
But in general, people who go out of their way to stir shit up, or be an asshole/intentionally rude about something, then play the victim when they get called out for being an asshole. Waste of fucking space and energy. Just go live on a fucking island with all the other passive aggressive assholes.
are their actions based on how they benefit them?
Heh. I assume everyone is a bad person unless they immensely prove that they aren’t. they can’t do lots of drugs, lead chaotic lives, be anti-intellectual, be a gossip, be greedy, a control freak, have an immoral job, use religion as a cudgel, have no integrity, be overly optimistic, have lots of kids, etc. etc.
Optimists can be cringe but do you really think it makes them bad people?
Thats a pretty cynical view but I get it.
I determine it by analyzing their attitude, behaviour, body language, their personal beliefs.
Reasonable
By watching show they behave when they can get away with doing the bad things.
I believe people can be good in different ways. I had a friend who had some batshit insane religious beliefs (Baptist), like she said it was worse to kill yourself than someone else, because then you couldn’t repent. But she would do anything for a friend, I had an emergency and she kept my kids even though she had a job interview, as an example. So she was good in actions and I’d argue evil in beliefs.
I have a coworker who is so mean & cutting, complains relentlessly about her husband, prickly person but does a great job at her job, loves her dog, and is great to work with because she Gets Shit Done. Is she good? Bad ?
I guess my bottom line criteria is can you care about others in at least some way, so empathy or sympathy is what makes it possible to be good.
For me it is more about what does the person contribute for the betterment of society.
