kajarainbow (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
kajarainbow) wrote2004-11-30 11:02 am
kajarainbow) wrote2004-11-30 11:02 am
Anthropologist community recommendation and tangent
If I was to recommend any one of the communities on my LJ reading list for friending to read on your friends list, I would most highly recommend ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
anthropologist. The people in it come across many, very many interesting articles discuissing humanity in general. Like, for instance, the analysis of 25,000 psychological studies, which concluded that all humans are capable of torture and "other acts of great evil".
You heard that right. Of course, the susceptibility would vary from person to person, but the big point the article makes is that it's important to understand that it isn't just being 'bad seeds' that make most people commit torture and such. It's the context. If they're in a social context that pressures them to shove freshman varsity members' heads into toilets, or if they're under perceived pressure from higher authorities to 'soften up prisoners'.
This is why we need to tackle the circumstances as well as the individuals. A lot of our wrongdoers simply wouldn't be wrongdoers if they had different situations. This isn't just bleeding heart liberialism. It's something that a lot of studies have shown. It's pragmatic.
anthropologist. The people in it come across many, very many interesting articles discuissing humanity in general. Like, for instance, the analysis of 25,000 psychological studies, which concluded that all humans are capable of torture and "other acts of great evil".You heard that right. Of course, the susceptibility would vary from person to person, but the big point the article makes is that it's important to understand that it isn't just being 'bad seeds' that make most people commit torture and such. It's the context. If they're in a social context that pressures them to shove freshman varsity members' heads into toilets, or if they're under perceived pressure from higher authorities to 'soften up prisoners'.
This is why we need to tackle the circumstances as well as the individuals. A lot of our wrongdoers simply wouldn't be wrongdoers if they had different situations. This isn't just bleeding heart liberialism. It's something that a lot of studies have shown. It's pragmatic.