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Asked by pigeonandnibbler to Aime, Akshat, Diana, Gemma, Judith on 21 Jun 2011.
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Akshat Rathi answered on 20 Jun 2011:
I don’t think everyone is mean. There are a few people who are mean but if you talk to them properly and always treat them as you treat others (which of course means a lot of self-discipline on your part) then one day that person will stop being mean to you.
This is what Mahatma Gandhi said. 🙂
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Judith McCann answered on 20 Jun 2011:
As Gemmas previously said, human natures affected by loads of factors; previous experience, environment, genetics etc, basically, as mean as someone is to you you should always be as nice (well, un-mean) as you can be because you don’t know what’s lead them to be mean
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Gemma Sharp answered on 21 Jun 2011:
Well, if we want to get scientific about this, we could explain meanness using Game Theory. That’s basically the idea that a person can interact with another person to reach their own goals.
Imagine you and a friend get in trouble at school for breaking something. Your teacher talks to you both separately and asks each of you who did it. You have two choices, do you confess or not?
If you confess and your friend confesses too then your teacher might go easy on you and only give you lunch time detention rather than after school detention. If you confess but your friend doesn’t then you get an after school detention but they get let off. If your friend confesses but you don’t, then they get an after school and you get let off. You see? Cooperating by both confessing is a tactic that means you both get punished, but only lightly. That’s the nicest option, BUT there is such a thing as being too nice… If your friend doesn’t confess but you do then you get it all in the neck!
That’s one theory of why people are mean – it might be risky, but it could pay off and they could end up with what they want.
Unfair, sure, but true!
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