What Is It That Keeps Us From Hate

[the running man]

I was just wondering, what is it that keeps us from just exploding when we get angery. I think it has to do with the fact that we play violent video games and things like that. I think if we can simply and a little bit at a time release that anger, that hate we can control how we feel(at least about that).I really think it would be easier if we would just hit the person who had it coming in the first place.if we could really controll our hate why would we need punching bags?

I will gladly appriciate any comments on the subject. :)


p.s. sorry this post is so short.

[Cyriel]

[QUOTE]I think it has to do with the fact that we play violent video games and things like that.[/QUOTE]
Umm, actually, I think that studies have proven that violent video games increase the tendency of violence in children and teens... How is that an effective way to release your anger? You're killing people.
[QUOTE]I really think it would be easier if we would just hit the person who had it coming in the first place.[/QUOTE]
Perhaps that was okay when civilization wasn't defined, or when communication didn't exist. Unless you're okay with getting into alot of trouble, I'd say that society has evolved a bit with some higher expectations than that. Not to mention, if we all lived by that standard (which is no standard at all), then the world would be in shambles.
[QUOTE]if we could really controll our hate why would we need punching bags?[/QUOTE]
I don't own a punching bag.

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[color=darkviolet]Maybe we just rely on our upbringing to keep us from hating everyone and everything. Or maybe we rely on our knowledge that we can't prevent every bad thing from happening.

I really can't say for sure what keeps me from hating everything. Could be because I forget about it after a while or just realize that the person was an idiot and couldn't help it.

Well, that's how I figure it. I may not have read the subject correctly though, so I'm sorry if it didn'ty make sense[/color]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting.

I think ChibiHorsewoman has made some pretty valid points but one major one overlooked is the simple concept of common sense. I think that realistically we know that more often than not that violence is not the answer to a situation, and I'd agree with Cyriel's statement about violent videogames. Yes there are times when I think about caving in the skull of someone I don't get on with but simple common sense dictates that if I do cave in his skull then more than likely I'm going to have to deal with the serious repercussions of that decision. Honestly I think it all just boils down to common sense.[/SIZE]

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1]What about the [i]hundreds of years[/i] humankind lacked videogames? Obviously, they just went around bashing people they were pissed off with. Right? I mean...what would they have done if they didn't have violent videogames? Like...Pacman?

And is it just me...or are punching bags for exercise?[/size]

[Immortal Meier]

probably when i get anger i don't hate that people because i have a sort of incoscient reaction..i think of them as "no-people" and i become indifferent towards all their things..

for the "hitting question" i'm on the same way of thinking of cyriel..you can simply hit one person at the beginning of the human society..now there're rules that defend people..
like my univesitary professor of politics science..in the beginning of the greek society there're have been the same discussion on this point..with the conclusion that "the state of nature is based on the strongest while the society have laws againt the normal way of nature that defend the weak"..all this to say that probably our "not hitting conscience" is due to the millenary idea of defending the weak..you don't hate and hit him because you live in society and you'll pay for it..

[Adahn]

I like the logic of the writer of JTHM. He gives us violence to our heart's content, so that we don't need to experience it for ourselves in real life. As for what causes violence, it has more to do with people than any video game or movie or violent t.v. show. Nothing pisses me off more than people, and I've spent hundreds (maybe thousands) of hours of my life experiencing those violent things. It boils down to the parents. If you raise your kids well, they'll be nice and even if they're picked on they won't resort to violence. If you raise them badly, they'll be ******** and beat up people for fun. The kind of people a kid is around at school also have a big effect on this. Essentially, people who are important to someone have a much greater effect on someone's violent tendencies than anything that isn't personal. Blaming violence on objects of entertainment is just trying to pass the blame onto something unimportant, and that's not right.

[Corey]

[size=1]What keeps up from hate? Nothing. Everyone has hated someone at one time or another in their lives. Off the top of my head I've hated my family, my ex, myself, my friends, and one specific bad driver for shatteirng my hip. All of these but the last I've gotten over.

Nothing keeps up from hate. The reprocussions of violence are what keeps us from hurting the ones we hate. If I were to walk up to the person that hit my mothers minivan (and they better hope I never find out who they are) I would kill them. And I would feel absolutely no remorse for them or for the actions that just sentenced me to life in prison. I would gladly destroy them for destroying my family the way they did.

But what keeps me from doing that? The main thing is that I don't know who they are, but even if I did there would be a small voice in the back of my head that whispered about ethics and how violence is wrong.

These are morals put into our heads at a very young age. I don't believe violence is a solution. I believe it only promotes more violence. I also know that without violence the world would not be where it is today, which really isn't bad considering what it used to be.

What keeps us from just destroying anything we get angry at? Mostly ethics, like I said. Common sence too. If you kill this person, you're going to jail, most likely. Violent videogames only affect the minds of the truely stupid and influential. People like me and Running Man use them as outlets. I also bike as an outlet for angry energy, there's nothing like draining yourself of pep to get rid of rage.[/size]

[Chaos]

[quote name='Cyriel']Umm, actually, I think that studies have proven that violent video games increase the tendency of violence in children and teens... How is that an effective way to release your anger? You're killing people.[/quote]


Actually, the studies done by most universities and institutions show the ones that go on murderous rampages are usually the quiet ones who [i]don't[/i] vent. Not only do violent video games help work our problems from under our skin, they also improve hand-eye coordination and multi-tasking skills. Since it IS a video game, we can do things we normally wouldn't do. We CAN blow up cars. We CAN shoot people in the head. We CAN slice somebody with a katana. And it doesn't hurt anybody.


On to the point, sheer willpower, I think. Trust me, I have just as short a fuse as any redblooded American, and the reason I don't snap at the slightest twitch [at least not physically] is because there are usually dire consequences. I don't feel like getting arrested just because some dude brushed by me in the WalMart. You feelin'?

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]Nothing keeps me from hatred. I hate as freely as I love, depends on what occurs, who I'm dealing with, etc.- just because I am open to hatred doesn't mean I'm a walking psychotic nutcase who is out to hurt as many people as possible, lol. Hate is as valid an emotion as any emotion and I do not deny my right to feel it whenever it is caused. BUT- I do not let it *consume* me. There is a difference between feeling something and becoming a slave to it. To be honest, it takes alot to piss me off- and a hell of alot more to make me hate you as a person. I might hate your actions or opinions, but it takes more than that to hate *you*.

Violence is apart of humanity. I have no qualms about murdering someone- as long as I have ample justification to do so. Doing anything in cold blood is idiotic and, to use a common term, "wrong". Reason has to be combined with action, or else it has no meaning beyond what tatters you try to clothe it with. I'm not going to deny myself my right to hurt another- I'm just not going to do it without a reason. And, yes, it has to be a logical reason. It would be lovely if we could leave in an idealistic world where there is no war, no violence, etc.- but that will never happen. While we can limit such things, there will be no extermination and I hope that all of you realize that. So, what we have so far is uncontrolled, meaningless violence = "wrong", for a lack of a better word. You have to have a myriad of reasons to murder someone and plenty of reason to wail on someone for any amount of time. I would never hurt someone I cared for in any amount, unless they had betrayed me. Heh.

I do play alot of video games, but they never inspired me to do anything violent. Now, I do think that there are many things that influence children into who they are as young adults and beyond- but video games are not the only influence, obviously. Parents, your environment, the social situation you are in at school, etc.- all those things and more influence children to varying degrees. So, they blame cannot solely rest on any one party. Plus, really- any effect video games have are small in comparison to the home environment they grow up in as a whole, you know?[/color]

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1]The more I read of this, the more worried I become.

All this gung-ho **** about "I'd feel no remorse about killing someone" "They'd get whats coming to them" etc. is ********.

I doubt that for one moment, any one of you could truly know what it would be like to have killed someone. It is not a movie, or a game, where you shoot them in the head and then spit on them. It [i]doesn't work that way.[/i] It's not something you do, and then forget about. You live with it the rest of your life. It doesn't matter what your reasons for killing them are... reasons can console, but not heal.

And all that **** about violent video-games helping? Thats exactly what it is- ****.[/size]

[Chaos]

You assume far too much, Baron. Different life experiences make for different brain patterns. It can be shown as electrical stimuli between the lobes that people respond differently to the same thing. Don't give me this ******** about all humans must have remorse and it sticks with you your entire life. There are people that have killed someone and not looked back on it. I know because I've met several. Don't lecture on **** that can't possibly be true for as long as every person has some form of individuality.


More on spot, what defines hate as making us "just exploding when we get angery."? Hate is an emotion, not the resistance to act on an emotion. I hate daily. I get enraged at the stupidest ****. It's hard for me not to get mad when someone does something stupid or retarded. What you're talking about, running man, is just not acting on fury. Just thought I'd bring that up.


Also, Baron, read up on reports done in the last few years on games before you decide to shoot off.

[DeathKnight]

[quote name='Baron Samedi][size=1']All this gung-ho **** about "I'd feel no remorse about killing someone" "They'd get whats coming to them" etc. is ********.[/quote][/size]

[color=crimson]I'm not gung-ho about it. I'm not actively searching for the first opportunity I have to shoot someone in the head. If it comes, it comes- if it doesn't, it doesn't. What occurs and what doesn't occur I have no idea of, but if I am confronted with a situation where I feel that killing someone is necessary, what am I supposed to do? Quote some poetic verse from a Shakespearian play while falling to my knees, staring upwards to the heavens?[/color]

[quote name='Baron Samedi][size=1']I doubt that for one moment, any one of you could truly know what it would be like to have killed someone.[/quote][/size]

[color=crimson]Yes. I assume the killers on this message board are a minority.[/color]

[quote name='Baron Samedi][size=1']It is not a movie, or a game, where you shoot them in the head and then spit on them. [/size][/quote]

[color=crimson]Don't degenerate into stereotypical blabberings and insult me by even implying that. I've put a lot of thought into this subject for personal reasons and this is the viewpoint I have adopted as my own.[/color]

[quote name='Baron Samedi][size=1']It's not something you do, and then forget about. You live with it the rest of your life. [/size][/quote]

[color=crimson]I said I'd have no qualm about it. Don't blow it out of proportion in such a dramatic way. If I kill someone it will be an event I remember in my life until the day I die, but, it won't be negative. It will be gray at best- instead of a pitch dark, haunting black that turns me into some sort of a shell of a man. That would be a waste of my existence, to let one occasion become such a life-altering scar.[/color]

[quote name='Baron Samedi][size=1']It doesn't matter what your reasons for killing them are... reasons can console, but not heal.[/size][/quote]

[color=crimson]If I killed out of cold blood, just for the sake of seeing it splatter on the floor- then I would need emotional healing and forgiveness from humanity in any way possible. Otherwise, I would view it as something I did out of necessity. While I might not like it, I won't let it shatter me in any amount to the point that it burdens my existence. Understand I'm not eliminating that option for myself- it will remain an option. Nothing more, nothing less. I don't look forward to it with any sort of fondness or excited anticipation. If it happens, it happens- if it doesn't, it doesn't. It's as simple as that. If you think that I will feel differently, that's simply delightful- I don't care. Time will tell how it happens, if it does at all. Beyond that, it's all speculation that cannot be proven concrete. Just wait and see. That's all I can do.[/color]

[James]

[color=#667F84]I think that "hate" must have a different meaning to different people or something.

I view the word as being a very strong one. Really, I would find it difficult to say that I actually hate someone, since it's such a strong emotion (I guess the inverse of love). Of course, there are different people that I might dislike for different reasons, but...to me, hatred represents a burning hostility toward someone that goes well beyond simply disliking them. I'm not sure if I've really experienced that, at least, not in a long term sense (although I've sure felt that in the heat of the moment on occasion).

As for the whole murder/aggression issue...teenagers are teenagers. I remember that it wasn't long ago when my brother had great difficulty exercising self control, in regard to his temper. He would become upset and angry over things that wouldn't phase me at all (or just about any adult) and he was passionate about everything. But that's the way it is. Although I didn't reach his depths in various ways, that isn't to say that I never felt such emotions.

The difference between him and me, at the same ages, was simply that I had more self control. And that self control makes the difference between me deciding to get physically violent and not, for whatever reason.

So...I think that many of these things are perhaps a bit more prevalent in teens, for obvious hormonal/developmental reasons. We know that there are a lot of teenagers who simply aren't able to control a lot of their behavior. Those teenagers lack the developmental/emotional maturity to control themselves.

In some cases you definitely see that as a problem in adults, however, if you're an adult and you can't control your "hatred", then you have a significant emotional problem. And that could easily land you in hot water, since you are really expected to be at least somewhat responsible for your own actions.

One of the other problems is that people [i]can[/i] do things in the spur of the moment that they regret later. If you're ever in a situation where you feel you have to kill someone (and I hope and assume that this is not something that anyone here is living with on a regular basis), that act could easily destroy your life. If it doesn't, then that's possibly even worse, in terms of what it says about your mental stability. I think it's easy to be indifferent or apathetic about these things when you're distanced from them to some degree. And teenagers in general tend to behave that way, for whatever reason (personal experience, peer pressure, the "cool factor" or what not).

But again, I think that it largely comes back to maturity. If you posess emotional maturity, then you're going to be able to control your anger, or more accurately, control the way you physically respond to it. We all have anger; I don't think the anger is the issue. The issue is how people handle it. If you handle it by beating some kid up or lashing out, then you simply lack maturity. In most cases I think teens tend to pick up that maturity as they develop into adults. Afterall, it's what being a teenager is about.

So I don't think it's something most people should worry about as a teenager. I know that with my brother, things settled down within only a year or so. In fact, within only a few years, he has very quickly developed from being a fairly reactionary and hostile teenager to being a pretty level-headed and calm person.

To speak about violent video games for a moment...

Video games are an entertainment medium. I recommend reading an article that Arcadia posted on her myOtaku a while ago, by Marilyn Manson. Very good read when it comes to this subject.

In the 1950's, parents were blaming their children's rebellious behavior on rock 'n' roll. And before that, I'm sure parents (and governments) were blaming all manner of things.

The fact is, video game violence (and music, and movies) would have to be the biggest white elephant I've ever seen. It has "scapegoat" labeled all over it.

If you are a person with a predisposition to violence, [i]you[/i] will seek out violent content to satisfy that desire. You will seek out games, or movies, or novels, or music.

Those media do [i]not[/i] suddenly influence you to commit violence, nor to they increase the likelihood of breaking the law. There are [i]ample[/i] studies to support this point of view.

So, let's not blame games or movies or whatever. Let's blame the individual who goes and shoots up their classmates for no good reason. That's what we should be discussing; holding the individual to account, not the media that they consume.

From personal experience, I can tell you that I'm a very non-violent person. In fact, I find it difficult to even enter into a heated verbal debate. Put simply, I have a very high threshold when it comes to aggrivation. I've [i]always[/i] been like this; it's who I am (although six years of kung fu certainly helped to encourage that trait, I think).

Could I kill someone? Could I severely hurt someone if I wanted to? Of course.

Would I? No, probably not. I play violent games quite often (whether it's Resident Evil or GTA). And some of my favourite films are highly violent (anything by Tarantino, lol). And yet, "real life" violence is horrific to me. Seeing any kind of violence on the news is always an awful experience.

So, I can tell you from my own experience two things. One, no matter how I feel about someone or something, I have the self control to avoid comitting violent acts. And two, violent games have not had any impact on my internal feelings and attitude toward violence whatsoever.

The reason that I enjoy the violence in GTA isn't because I like violence. If I saw those things happening in real life, I'd be horrified.

I enjoy it [i]because[/i] it's fictional; because it's fantasy. I know it's fantasy, I can see it's fantasy and that's why I am happy to have fun with it.

In terms of me being frustrated or something, I can't say that playing a violent game really makes me feel better...usually I feel better if I do something constructive to vent my anger (ie: if I create something or work on something). But that's just me; I'm quite sure that others could experience relief through other means.[/color]

[Kippky]

[QUOTE=the running man]I was just wondering, what is it that keeps us from just exploding when we get angery. I think it has to do with the fact that we play violent video games and things like that. I think if we can simply and a little bit at a time release that anger, that hate we can control how we feel(at least about that).I really think it would be easier if we would just hit the person who had it coming in the first place.if we could really controll our hate why would we need punching bags?

I will gladly appriciate any comments on the subject. :)


p.s. sorry this post is so short.[/QUOTE]
Hmmm...very plasable...because now a dayz video games make violence look so real that it feels like you're actually killing

[DeathBug]

Are we going to make a distinction betweent "Hate" and "Anger" or "Feeling Hate" and "Acting on Hate"?

I get angry, and I hate some things, like France, but I don't act on these emotions. When you're a young child, you act immediatly on any emtion that you feel, because you percieve everything in terms of you, you, you. Some people grow out of that. Some don't, and move to California.

[Guest Midnight Rush]

Yes, Kippky is does seem plauseable.

But it's not.

Video games have nothing to do with this. The entire nature of the confusion in this topic can be narrowed to one source: the running man's lack of vocabulary training.

Hate, my lad, is not what you ment. You meant any of the myriad forms of rage. Punching a dude because he eyed your girl. Breaking the glasses of a chick who brushes against you at BiLo. That sort of thing isn't hate... its assault. Lol.

I agree with Cyriel, but have a comment to add to her post:

Yes, society expects us, and rightfully so, to control ourselves in situations we find unfavorable to us. That is a reasonable expectation. The ironic, and darkly humorous, aspect of this is that we have replaced violence with jealousy and deciet.

It used to be, if a man had a cow that was better than yours, you could kill him and take it. Problem solved (in a...i'll mannered way).

Now a days, you look at your friend's cell, comp, girl, car, house, cologne, etc. and think to yourself, I WANT THAT! WAAAHAHAHAHHAAHHA!

But you smile and compliment him/her on their achievement. Then you go and destroy their life through gossip, muggings, blackmail, and treachery.

Totally civilized, I agree.

[eleanor]

[color=firebrick] Basically, I think it's just maturity. When you were four years old and your mom told you to stop watching tv during your favorite program, you'd throw a fit and cry or something. When you're 14, you don't.

Well, I hope you don't.

Mostly you tell your friends your parents suck and then get over it in about thirty minutes. (I know, it's amazing, right?) Although I don't think being interrupted during your favorite TV show really qualifies as hate. But you get my drift. But of course it's not really healthy to just keep in all your anger and stress, which is why it's healthy to be active in some sort of hobby or sport so you can vent your anger without blowing up at your friends or siblings.

But then of course there are some sorts of things most people can't stop from 'hating', like if you had a son that you loved very much and some guy came up and shot him with a gun. I mean. Most parents wouldn't stand there and go punch a punching bag to vent their anger. [If I were that parent I'd probably go into a mad rage and beat the guy with a sharp object of some sort]

But um.

... *looks at post and raises eyebrow* I think I should stop there. [/color]

[Guest ArtloverB]

[QUOTE=Cyriel]Umm, actually, I think that studies have proven that violent video games increase the tendency of violence in children and teens... How is that an effective way to release your anger? You're killing people.

Perhaps that was okay when civilization wasn't defined, or when communication didn't exist. Unless you're okay with getting into alot of trouble, I'd say that society has evolved a bit with some higher expectations than that. Not to mention, if we all lived by that standard (which is no standard at all), then the world would be in shambles.

I don't own a punching bag.[/QUOTE]

um......... your really kinda rude :flaming: I just talk to people when i'm mad, so I don't do anything to them (and playing a game or not is no excuse for sombody killing someone else)

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1][quote name='Kippky']Hmmm...very plasable...because now a dayz video games make violence look so real that it feels like you're actually killing[/quote]

Sorry to break your dear sweet heart, but no, video games and actually killing someone is [i]in no way similar[/i].

If someone ever killed someone, and [i]in no way reflected upon their actions[/i] then that person obviously has a problem, be it psychotic tendencies, or even an inability to construe others as human beings. Hate, as James said, is a very extreme...emotion. Sadly, the term is used unconsciously. I hate broccoli. I hate school. I hate weeding.

Is it just me or does that sound immature? You can certainly say that you 'hate' that stuff, but really...you dislike it. Or it annoys you. Whatever- it's not hate.

Also Chaos, I am...unsure as to what you're referring to when you suggest I read up on reports. Reports which deny the link between violent videogames and violence, or reports which confirm the link?

Because, there isn't really a link. If you are going to be violent, then you probably have some problems. And therefore, violent videogames are not to blame.

Anyway, in regards to my last post, as I mentioned above, if someone felt [i]nothing[/i] about killing someone [no matter the cause] then they do have problems. Justification is fine. I was not suggesting [Deathknight] that you fall down and pray when put in that situation. All that I was referring to, and it is very plain, is that people will be burdened by what they have done. Even if you have justification for killing someone, you [should] still feel something.

It was the general feeling of "Yeah, I'd kill someone, no worries. Yeah, thats right. The guy had it coming" that got to me. Because it's not like that.[/size]

[Fall]

[font=Verdana][size=2]The fact is, no matter how much you hate this poor person, you're never gonna forget them.[/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2]I've only ever snapped a few times, as in getting so damn angry I lose control of my actions. But the thing is, I've ended up talking to some of them again. [/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2]I think the thing that stops anyone from fully exploding and burning up in hate is that deep down, they know they're not gonna hate them forever.[/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2]You might [i]not like[/i] someone forever, but hating... you can't hate someone forever.[/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2]...none of this video-game ********.[/size][/font]