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shermantanktoptoday at 3:05 PM3 repliesview on HN

Do you think people look in the mirror and say “I’m going to be a terrible person today?”

They look in the mirror and say “good job playing the hand you’re dealt - keep it up!” even while what they do is objectively terrible.

Humans have an incredible capacity for rationalizing their own behavior.


Replies

jagged-chiseltoday at 3:19 PM

That’s definitely not “inadvertent.”

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Tangurena2today at 7:36 PM

> Do you think people look in the mirror and say “I’m going to be a terrible person today?”

There are plenty of people who are motivated by hurting/harming their "enemies". You may have heard them brag "own the libs", or similar rhetoric, while doing something objectively terrible.

bluefirebrandtoday at 6:30 PM

> Do you think people look in the mirror and say “I’m going to be a terrible person today?”

Not so directly, but I do think that a lot of people don't put any effort into being a good person.

Think of the shopping cart problem. Good people return their shopping carts to the store or a cart return. Many people can't be bothered to do that.

People think "oh I'm not bad for leaving my cart in a parking spot" they think "stealing or damaging a shopping cart is what bad people do"

But they're still kinda bad people for not returning their carts. They're certainly choosing not to actively be good people.

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