• Track_Shovel@slrpnk.net
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      3 days ago

      A friend and I were discussing this. It seems like these days it’s more rewarding, objectively, to be a shitbag than to actually be a good human. We’re constantly being played for suckers despite having morals. Everyone else is cheating in this tragedy of the moral commons.

      • futatorius@lemm.ee
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        1 day ago

        It has always been like that.

        I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

      • rational_lib@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        There’s a selection bias, we usually hear about the most successful shitbags. Most ordinary shitbags live pretty terrible lives. Just look at the life of the typical red state resident. Usually working their ass off in a blue collar for some plutocrat who abuses them, subjected to country music all day long. Almost makes me feel bad for them.

        • futatorius@lemm.ee
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          1 day ago

          There have been studies done that show that the prevalence of Dark Triad traits rises, the higher you look in a hierarchical structure. C-suites have roughly three times the prevalence of these traits compared to the general population. The selection is being done by the system.

          Other societies (as an anecdotal example, the Inuit) have ways of removing such individuals from the population because of the damage they do to group survivability. Take one out ice-fishing, push him in the hole, 3 minutes later, problem solved.

        • futatorius@lemm.ee
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          2 days ago

          Most ordinary shitbags live pretty terrible lives

          Same goes for most ordinary non-shitbags.

          • FMT99@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            The point is, just because one shitbag gets away with it, that shouldn’t motivate you to also become a shitbag.

    • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
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      3 days ago

      It actually seems like it feels pretty great. The downside is you’re probably some degree of sociopath or other disorder. But I’m neither qualified nor experienced to diagnose.

    • ours@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      The sci-fi books/series “The Expanse” features a rogue lab where all the scientists got the part of their brain responsible for empathy intentionally destroyed.

      I sometimes think about that and wonder what it would be to be like that. How easy it would be to make a ton of money. And how sad it must be for these people to live only for themselves.