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Most people at their core are good people
I don't remember where I read this quote originally and I can only paraphrase it, but observing people living in a capitalist society and concluding that human nature is self-centeredness and greed is equivalent to observing workers in a factory that is poisoning their lungs and concluding that human nature is to cough.
That's a nice quote, thank you. I looked into it. It's by Andrew Collier:
To look at people in capitalist society and conclude that human nature is egoism, is like looking at people in a factory where pollution is destroying their lungs and saying that it is human nature to cough.
Primary goal is to survive in the environment you are in, how many might have a desire to escape that environment but lack the ability to do so? Leave it all behind and live in a cabin in the woods isn't exactly an unheard of idea.
The issue, as I see it, is that most people struggle to envision a society beyond capitalism. Capitalist ideology is embedded in every aspect of our lives. It appears in our mindset, in books, movies, and even in children's television shows. The narrative that anyone can succeed if they work hard enough, and that poverty is simply the result of laziness, is both powerful and pervasive.
The idea that everyone should live in isolated cabins is neither a realistic vision nor a desirable goal for society.
Not everyone thinks "society" is a goal.
You mean like a hermit? I think that's a rare fantasy. But if you want to do it, sure, go for it. Isn't there a lot of space and wilderness in Canada?
That's confusing cause and effect
I would say most people are good. However, the human brain is pretty shit and easy to manipulate. It's easy to make people view other people as not human or other to them, or to not think about them at all. Maybe that is "not good" in some definitions though. When face-to-face, I will bet every time on someone treating someone well. I'll lose the bet occasionally, but I'll be right more than wrong.
Damn, ya beat me. I'm not good people to so I know from first hand experience.
Don't worry, people can change.
Trust me, I used to be a huge piece of shit
It is evidence of my age that I assumed this link would be a Rick roll...
No one can stop you ordering a huge steak and a glass of water.
I think “good” and “bad” are hard terms to apply to people objectively, but I do believe that most people value social coherence and are willing to do (the minimum amount of) something to maintain it. If you can’t believe at least that it means that all of those thin blue line people are right, and I’m just not willing to believe that’s true.
I was gonna go with "most people give a damn", but I think you phrased it a bit more positively.
I used to think the Anne Frank quote was inspiring. Now I just see it as bitterly ironic.