My general assumption for the lowest I can expect a person to behave is basically always looking for their own absolute gain, and any attitude towards other people comes secondary to that. So while a person living by this standard wouldn’t donate to charity without some other motive, they would have basically the same answer to something like the trolley problem as anyone else.
Am I wrong thinking of this as a “minimum reasonable behavior”, or is there something people actually gain from the suffering of other people?
This question was born out of seeing how people are being treated by the US government at the moment, but I’m asking about more than just that. People like abusive partners/family, hostile cops, or just bullies in general.
I think it’s formed if you cope hard enough to believe in us vs them (as in believing there’s a fundamental difference between you and people you disagree with) and also tap into fear(these people aren’t just different, they want to take what you have and everything you value) then you can take pleasure in other people’s suffering. it’s disgusting and I fear most of the country is no longer capable of empathy