The Bane of Life: [m4e] perpetrator mode —

[oxtail]

A Ren'Py Game: The Bane of A Life
[m4] perpetrator mode — rationalization

[m4a] I know all relevant facts including who, how, why.
[m4b] I have some idea how to get all relevant facts.
[m4c] I just know what happened to the victim.
[m4d] I'm not even sure what happened.
[m4e] I'm not even interested in figuring out what happened.

[m4e] perpetrator mode — rationalization: ethical distancing

[http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1009&context=management_pubs

ETHICAL DISTANCING:
RATIONALIZING VIOLATIONS OF ORGANIZATIONAL NORMS

ABSTRACT
Recent work on moral reasoning has focused on the psychological
relationship between the actor, the action and the outcome. The argument
is that a tighter connection between these categories leads to more moral
behavior. Using data from students who cheated on an exam, we extend this
literature by delineating how people can rationalize non-moral behavior
by loosening the above relationships. In particular, we found that
students tried to distance themselves from the wrongfulness of cheating
using four types of rationalization: separating themselves from the
action, blaming a third-party for influencing the decision, re-defining
the action as something good, and defining alternate outcomes from the
behavior. Supporting these rationales are nine basic arguments based on
confusion, character, professor clarity, attractive nuisance, culture,
intent, acceptance, comparisons and outcome. We conclude by discussing
the implications of these findings for our understanding of moral
reasoning and provide some practical approaches for minimizing this
behavior.]

Happy reading!
I'm more interested in teachers who manipulate grades for their personal
profit.

[{:-])))]

Post by oxtail
I'm more interested in teachers
who manipulate grades for their personal profit.

Why does that interest you?

Is greed an unusual spirit to be possessed by?

[oxtail]

Post by {:-])))

Post by oxtail
I'm more interested in teachers who manipulate grades for their personal
profit.

Why does that interest you?

Because they are supposed to be smarter and wiser;
their self-rationalization might be more sophisticated.

[oxtail]

Post by {:-])))

Post by oxtail
I'm more interested in teachers who manipulate grades for their
personal profit.

Why does that interest you?

Because they are supposed to be smarter and wiser; their
self-rationalization might be more sophisticated.

Students are just being selfish;
but teachers are abusing their power.
In this game, I'm mainly interested
in the routine and banal abuse of power;
like a prison guard raping prisoners,
like a prosecutor hiding evidence
beneficial to the accused, etc.

It appears that this banal abuse of power is
so rampant as to be accepted as the human condition.
It's rather surprising that
the mechanism of its rationalization is still
not as well understood as it deserves to be.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-nazi-s-defense-of-just-
following-orders-plays-out-in-the-mind/

[{:-])))]

Post by oxtail

Post by {:-])))

Post by oxtail
I'm more interested in teachers who manipulate grades for their
personal profit.

Why does that interest you?

Because they are supposed to be smarter and wiser; their
self-rationalization might be more sophisticated.

Students are just being selfish;
but teachers are abusing their power.
In this game, I'm mainly interested
in the routine and banal abuse of power;
like a prison guard raping prisoners,
like a prosecutor hiding evidence
beneficial to the accused, etc.
It appears that this banal abuse of power is
so rampant as to be accepted as the human condition.
It's rather surprising that
the mechanism of its rationalization is still
not as well understood as it deserves to be.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-nazi-s-defense-of-just-
following-orders-plays-out-in-the-mind/

Your species is a strange one.

Highly irrational.

Very low on many a scale.

It's as if they're animals,
or even worse!

To say it is not as well understood
as it deserves to be suggests various ways
that could pertain to what understanding means.

Various paradigms might be used.

The devil can be in the details.

People, when seen as being possessed,
can be understood as being possessed,
by what is called, evil.

For some people this is a problem.

As if there is such a thing as evil.
And people might actually be possessed.

Understandings and explanations vary.

When something clicks, stuff makes sense.

When a paradigm is pushed to an extreme,
it may tend to exhibit weaknesses.

Taoism might give an impression
that there is no paradigm to end all paradigms,
to complete the picture of how paradigms work.

If the only tool someone has is a hammer,
a screwed up world might be unfathomable.

[oxtail]

Post by {:-])))

Post by oxtail

Post by {:-])))

Post by oxtail
I'm more interested in teachers who manipulate grades for their
personal profit.

Why does that interest you?

Because they are supposed to be smarter and wiser; their
self-rationalization might be more sophisticated.

Students are just being selfish;
but teachers are abusing their power.
In this game, I'm mainly interested in the routine and banal abuse of
power;
like a prison guard raping prisoners,
like a prosecutor hiding evidence beneficial to the accused, etc.
It appears that this banal abuse of power is so rampant as to be
accepted as the human condition.
It's rather surprising that the mechanism of its rationalization is
still not as well understood as it deserves to be.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-nazi-s-defense-of-just-
following-orders-plays-out-in-the-mind/

Your species is a strange one.
Highly irrational.
Very low on many a scale.
It's as if they're animals,
or even worse!
To say it is not as well understood as it deserves to be suggests
various ways that could pertain to what understanding means.
Various paradigms might be used.
The devil can be in the details.
People, when seen as being possessed,
can be understood as being possessed,
by what is called, evil.
For some people this is a problem.
As if there is such a thing as evil.
And people might actually be possessed.
Understandings and explanations vary.
When something clicks, stuff makes sense.
When a paradigm is pushed to an extreme,
it may tend to exhibit weaknesses.
Taoism might give an impression that there is no paradigm to end all
paradigms,
to complete the picture of how paradigms work.
If the only tool someone has is a hammer,
a screwed up world might be unfathomable.

Self-rationalization is itself abuse of power.
If we have the power that can be abused,
we have the power to correct the abuse.

Cf. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path

[{:-])))]

Post by oxtail
Self-rationalization is itself abuse of power.
If we have the power that can be abused,
we have the power to correct the abuse.
Cf. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path

Some have power. Some abuse power.

Some who have been abused might not.

Some people are powerless.

Some are born blind.

Some have been blinded.

Some people, having been taught,
conditioned, in various ways, to do what
others see as heinous, may be able to change.

Others might be incorrigible.

Born to be, such as they are.

Some software has glitches.
Maybe there can be found fixes.

If someone is born blind,
perhaps artificial sight can be developed,
or various other ways to get around town.

If someone is born without empathy,
psychopathic, homicidal or suicidal, or with
some other so-called mental condition
which society disapproves of,
maybe it can be fixed.

Perhaps a lobotomy could be a patch,
so to speak, to, "correct" any behavior
that you deem to be unacceptable.

If, in your culture, war is bad,
but owning pets is good, you might keep
fish in tanks but stop killing people.

By any means possible. Even if it means,
cutting parts of their brains out.

Or through genetic engineering.
Selective breeding.

You might enforce the Noble Path
by exterminating all who can't follow it.

Or rewire their brains so that they can, and do.

Is that your game-plan?

To fix the world so it is as you deem fixed?

The TTC could say that's not the Way.
Tao and Taoism may take a different route.

If you think there is something wrong,
then perhaps there is, within you.

Animals do as animals do.
People are animals too.

You might wish people weren't ferocious,
mean, killers and abusers and evil at heart.

Wishful thinking isn't all bad.
At times it's as good as thinking gets.

How good is good enough?

Do you think the world could ever be?

If there is any bad, would you eliminate it?

If any are sad, would you fix that too?

Can there be an up-side without down?

Could you be right without being left
in a state of being lop-sided?

[oxtail]

Post by {:-])))

Post by oxtail
Self-rationalization is itself abuse of power.
If we have the power that can be abused,
we have the power to correct the abuse.
Cf. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path

Some have power. Some abuse power.
Some who have been abused might not.
Some people are powerless.
Some are born blind.
Some have been blinded.
Some people, having been taught,
conditioned, in various ways, to do what others see as heinous, may be
able to change.
Others might be incorrigible.
Born to be, such as they are.
Some software has glitches.
Maybe there can be found fixes.
If someone is born blind,
perhaps artificial sight can be developed,
or various other ways to get around town.
If someone is born without empathy, psychopathic, homicidal or suicidal,
or with some other so-called mental condition which society disapproves
of,
maybe it can be fixed.
Perhaps a lobotomy could be a patch,
so to speak, to, "correct" any behavior that you deem to be
unacceptable.
If, in your culture, war is bad,
but owning pets is good, you might keep fish in tanks but stop killing
people.
By any means possible. Even if it means, cutting parts of their brains
out.
Or through genetic engineering.
Selective breeding.
You might enforce the Noble Path by exterminating all who can't follow
it.
Or rewire their brains so that they can, and do.
Is that your game-plan?
To fix the world so it is as you deem fixed?
The TTC could say that's not the Way.
Tao and Taoism may take a different route.
If you think there is something wrong,
then perhaps there is, within you.
Animals do as animals do.
People are animals too.
You might wish people weren't ferocious,
mean, killers and abusers and evil at heart.
Wishful thinking isn't all bad.
At times it's as good as thinking gets.
How good is good enough?
Do you think the world could ever be?
If there is any bad, would you eliminate it?
If any are sad, would you fix that too?
Can there be an up-side without down?
Could you be right without being left in a state of being lop-sided?

It is natural for humans to reason.
Just as an oak tree grows
out of an acorn, following Dao,
a moral man can grow out of a child
who is totally ignorant of morality.
Without change, Dao is difficult to discern.
With change, Dao manifests itself better.
Feel free to become more moral.

[{:-])))]

Post by oxtail
Feel free to become more moral.

Sounds like an infinite task.

I'd rather feel free to transcend morality.

There are already enough fish kept in fish tanks,
and blades of grass being cut down on weekends
by lawn keepers in suburbia. Bugs are slaughtered
every day by gardeners keeping gardens green.

If I get any more moral I wouldn't cut my nails.
It's been decades since I cut my hair.

Do you kill an ant?

Or fly in your house?

Do you have wings?

[oxtail]

Post by {:-])))

Post by oxtail
Feel free to become more moral.

Sounds like an infinite task.
I'd rather feel free to transcend morality.
There are already enough fish kept in fish tanks,
and blades of grass being cut down on weekends by lawn keepers in
suburbia. Bugs are slaughtered every day by gardeners keeping gardens
green.
If I get any more moral I wouldn't cut my nails. It's been decades since
I cut my hair.
Do you kill an ant?
Or fly in your house?
Do you have wings?

Still trying to play god?
How about just playing human first?
Do you really think you are kind enough already?

[{:-])))]

Post by oxtail

Post by {:-])))

Post by oxtail
Feel free to become more moral.

Sounds like an infinite task.
I'd rather feel free to transcend morality.
There are already enough fish kept in fish tanks,
and blades of grass being cut down on weekends by lawn keepers in
suburbia. Bugs are slaughtered every day by gardeners keeping gardens
green.
If I get any more moral I wouldn't cut my nails. It's been decades since
I cut my hair.
Do you kill an ant?
Or fly in your house?
Do you have wings?

Still trying to play god?

Given: God exists.
It would be better to say
God is playing at being you.
But you may not be aware of how.
As you are, so to speak, asleep, in God.

Post by oxtail
How about just playing human first?

Being at play is among the most fun games two play.

Post by oxtail
Do you really think you are kind enough already?

Kind of. Sure. Why knot?