Why are there so many a-holes? Is there anything we as a society can do about them? My impression is that in the past, if you were an a-hole you'd get beat up a lot and eventually learn how to be nice, but these days it seems like a-holes are protected by law and rewarded with attention. Am I right in thinking that, like packs of animals, humans need to beat the crap out of a-holes in order to keep them in line, and by refusing to do so we're stuck dealing with the consequences?
I know there are all sorts of non-violent approaches to dealing with a-holes, but do they work? Simple discussion sure seems not to -- it just validates the a-holes' sense of self-righteous self-importance. Nothing's better for bringing someone down a notch than getting beat down in public. We're social creatures, and violence is an important part of how we relate to each other and send messages about the social structure.
That's one of the obvious problems with the internet, as many have pointed out previously. There's no way to beat up the a-holes.
What we're missing is social exclusion. We once had a more coherent society with very detailed rules of behavior. Those who didn't follow those rules were excluded from polite company.
Now we have an extensive system of nondiscrimination laws that impair that old system. We've lost much of our freedom of association.
Well, that and our electronic world of connectivity means it is that much harder to shun someone. And our Brave New World of Tivo and emphasis on privacy means that isolation is a goal rather than a punishment.
I like what ben said. It used to be called positive peer pressure, but now it's derided as judgementalism and intolerance.
And theres too many lawyers for a good old fashioned ass-whuppin anymore...