Why are people so mean?

I have first hand knowledge on this one as I am Type 2. I know you aren't really asking why Type 1 diabetics are hostile to Type 2 diabetics. I would be willing to bet the former feel that the latter have brought it on themselves by poor diet choices, lack of exercise and the like, rather than being born with the condition. They feel if the people would only take care of themselves they wouldn't have this condition. Not really the case as I know plenty of Type 2's who have always been active and healthy and still they developed the disease as it was just part of their genetic make up just as it is the Type 1's. Makes no sense really to resent someone else for such a reason.

As to the mean question? Wow do I have experience with that. I have an autistic/epileptic daughter. It is always an adventure going to the grocery store, shopping, to a park, movie theater or any place that involves going out. She has problems with heat, cold, sunlight, florescent lights, loud noises all of which are seizure triggers or can make her react violently. You cannot imagine unless you were another mother with an epileptic or autistic child what it is like to have some moron say to you "Did you drop her on her head when she was a baby?" or "Let me cast out your daughters demons, or "You should keep that kid at home if you can't control her" or "Why don't you discipline your child?" Or "People like you shouldn't be allowed to eat in restaurants." This has happened so often, in the library, at the post office, at church. One fellow told me that he didn't know where they could accommodate handicapped kids in church but he knew a bunch of churches that would pay us to NOT go to their church. I have had people get mad at me for letting my daughter have a seizure at a restaurant. Like I could control that? I could goes on and on but this is already too long, sorry. That last time I asked the woman "Do you think perhaps they should round up all the autistic epileptic children and gas them in a warehouse some place? That shut her up long enough to let us leave.

Oh yes and my daughter had swine flu this last winter. I went to the grocery by myself that time. I had to hire a sitter just to slip out for a few minutes. I was in the 15 item check out lane with 17 items. For SHAME! The woman behind me couldn't control herself. She had to comment about how rude I was to be in the quick lane with a hundred items. Sigh. She had her four year old daughter with her and was commenting loud and long about how some people were just soooooo rude and how I obviously couldn't count. She went on and on and on. I said I just needed to get home as I had a sick handicapped child and needed to get her to eat so she wouldn't end up in the hospital and all the other lanes were choked with people with full carts. She said she didn't care as I was inconveniencing her.

Why are people so mean? I don't know. I think it might be that they don't think they will ever see you again and they aren't really very nice to begin with. Their true personalities come out at such times. They were never taught any better? They never stood in another persons shoes or even tried to. They don't use their brains or their hearts much at all. Thanks for letting me vent. I have wanted to do that for a long LONG time!

I think it's because people are stupid.

Yep... how insightful is that? ... or not.

I like Lyra's answer. :-)

I think it's the same with the differences between all groups no matter how similar they are. But especially in this case where a lot of people in general don't differentiate between the different types of diabetes but instead lump them all together as the same thing in their minds. Since it's too hard to try and get everyone to stop grouping them together, it's easier to take out the frustration on the out-group.

I tried to answer this question in a better worded more intelligent sounding way but my words aren't gelling for me today.

I think a huge reason why people are so mean is because the best way to build yourself and your own group up is by putting someone else's down. And judging people based on something superficial is so much easier and quicker than taking the time to form a well rounded more accurate opinion. And as humans, we are essentially rather lazy when it comes to things like that.

As to the diabetes part of the question -- I can't compete with earlier responses.

As to the "Why are people so mean" part ? Well, there are, in our world, bullies, victims, and the rest of us, that try to understand either of the other two categories. I will NOT be a victim, and I will NOT be a bully. I will also, not put up with a freakin' bully -- I'll fight to the death first, and will defend a victim, if given the chance, but I will always be baffled by those that allow themselves to become either. I wish I could help 'them' as well.

The world should be perfect. Alas, it is not.

♥

It has been my experience that people are mean because they have a deep dissatisfaction with their own lives. They feel that, since life seems to be running roughshod over them, then they have a license to do the same to others.

As far as being judgmental goes, these are people who, either through upbringing or a dominant personality trait, see the world as black and white (black and white based on their terms and values, of course, not the equally valid values of others). They immediately set the bar for everyone they meet, and if that person does not meet that "bar", for whatever reason, then they are viewed as worthless and a waste of time. These are people who have absolutely no clue that they don't reach their own "bar", since, in their own minds, they can do no wrong.

Unfortunately, there is no way to avoid either type of person as we go through life. All we can do is have confidence and the awareness that we are fine the way we are, so it is easier to brush these people off.

This question couldn't have come at a better time!

My friend apparently thinks that I'm the type of person to post mean comments about other people I happen not to like so much on Facebook. I will admit, the comment could have been worded differently, given that the person to whom it was directed isn't exactly my favorite, but it was meant to be funny and it didn't ever cross my mind that anyone would take it as otherwise. And now she won't believe me when I try and tell her all of this. I always knew that she liked the other girl more than she likes me, but really! I expected her to think about it a little. I never have done anything relatively close to what she accuses me of, have never thought about doing so, and I'm pretty sure I don't ever want to do it. Clearly, she doesn't know me if this is what she's thinking. But this happened around midnight last night, so maybe (hopefully) it'll clear up.

I can't even begin to touch on this diabetes thing. I just looked up the difference between Type 1 and 2 diabetes, for my own clarification. Type 1 is not preventable and weight has nothing to do with it. Type 2 is preventable and weight gain and excess food intake are generally the cause of it. However, of the people who have diabetes, a higher percentage of people have Type 2. I suppose it may be because Type 2 is preventable and happens because people aren't really taking as good care of themselves as they could, that people with Type 1 are hostile towards them. Let's call it the Rosalie Effect. In the Twilight series, Rosalie was nasty towards Bella and Bella didn't know why until Rosalie explained to her that, given the choice, she would never have chosen to become a vampire because she missed out on so much of her life. And now Bella is making a huge mistake in choosing to become one and isn't seeing it. Of course those with Type 2 don't *choose* it, but you get the general idea. But we're comparing this to Twilight, so even this is a weak hypothesis :p

Edit: So, in trying to get over the fact that the previously mentioned former friend is an immature, hypocritical little jerk, my mother helped me by telling me this: People expect others to do what they would expect themselves to do. I expected former friend to think about who I was before she lashed out at me, because that's what I would have done in her situation. Maybe she did this, and by my mother's words of wisdom, I don't find it surprising that former friend expected me to say something to the girl that could be taken as either sweet or sour but meaning for it to be sour, because it's something that she would do. So going back to why people are mean-- I guess it's because a higher percentage of people have experienced something or another which has caused them to distrust people in general. Because *they* distrust people and see their faults before their perfections, why shouldn't people see *their* faults and distrust them? This way, there are a lot of people who view the world as being filled with untrustworthy, distrustful people who are bad at heart. If this is true, it's no wonder that people are so mean. They are hardly willing to give people chances because if people are bad at heart and behind every action is a self-preservation type motivation, they must not deserve the chance.

I hate disrespect. I hate it, hate it, hate it. The one virtue to me that I strongly believe is to be valued far more than any other is common courtesy. Maybe it was just the school I went to last year that has made me feel so strongly about this, but I just feel like there should be this instinct in everyone to just, I don't know, maybe try to- just for once- not bring a gun to school because somebody pissed you off once.

Being mean, no matter what's going on with your life at home or what's happening at school or work or anything else doesn't excuse acting like a jerk. Don't mock somebody just because they're different from you, just because they're of a different race, because they were raised differently. Don't beat somebody up because of their sexuality, or treat them like they're lower than vermin. These sort of things just piss me off to no end.

And you know why these things happen? It's because of terrible parents! There is an overwhelming amount of terrible parents in the world. Take my aunt and uncle for example: Their eight-year-old son was angry, so he threw one of those little pool diving-sticks at my head and now I have a black eye (And people wonder why I hate children?). Of course I was more that ready to give the little brat a souvenir of his own, but then the kid decided that because he would probably be in trouble, he would throw a fit, screaming, "I hate you all!" And because my aunt and uncle suck at life, they gave their brat-of-a-son comfort and sympathy while I held an ice pack to my golf-ball-sized eye. And they didn't even make the kid say sorry. I swear they should write a book, "How to Suck at Parenting 101."

And I'm tired of people assuming that because I'm white I'm in love with Taylor Swift and must hate rap. Okay, yeah, it's true, but not because I'm white!

:3

Okay, I'm sorry all the examples I just gave were completely irrelevent to the question, but this seemed to be a really good chance to just rant about all the stuff that have been pissing me off in the last couple days.

Do you mean that you meant the word "mean" in its original meaning or are you too mean to meet my mean standards? Oh, I'm going to start moaning about your mixing up all those m-words...

I have to agree completely with Kelly's answer.

Common courtesy is THE BEST. Best, best, best. I cannot stand rude people. At all. They just make me ridiculously angry, I feel like punching them in the mouth and telling them to shut the f/ck up. Which is ironic, because that would be very rude.

If its at school I tell them to shut up though. And if they don't, that's when the public humiliation begins. They usually shut up when I tell them though.

People who are mean and do this have probably been made to feel weak or put down by their condition ... Just pretty much bullying isnt it..!?

We accumulate our opinions at an age when our understanding is at its weakest.