What Is The Matter With People?

[youngmafbog]

This seems to happen every time. Just what sort of people are these looters? When people are puling together to help each other they now have to cope with these low lifes shooting at them.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4831938/Cajun-Navy-says-looters-fired-shots-Harvey-rescue-boats.html

[Mamyalynne]

What Is The Matter With People?


That truly has to be the hardest question to answer - pure selfishness is the nearest I can get.


Thankfully the good outweigh the bad especially in times of crisis.

[ToraToraTora]

Savages!

[albaqwerty]

bunch of low-lifes.
Disgusting.

[andy-hughes]

You are looking for a rational explanation to irrational behaviour.

If you were to ask one of these people why they behave they way they do, the answer would be 'I don't know ...' and that would be truthful.

To explain an action, you need the mental capacity to think outside yourself, look at what you are doing, think why you are doing it, and be able to rationalise your behaviour.

These people lack that capacity because they are unintelligent.

The act on instinct, they behave in accordance with what is around them, moment to moment.

They see an opportunity to take something for free, so they take it, they see the prospect that they may be caught, they try and scare away the authorities.

These actions are done in the moment, with no thought about consequences.

So, to reiterate, there is no point in looking for rational reasons for irrational behaviour - they simply don't exist.

[Baldric]

Looks as if they were using scare tactics,

///No one got injured... no one actually got shot, they shot at the boats,' Cain said, attempting to quell online rumors that volunteers had actually been shot///

[ludwig]

// These people lack that capacity because they are unintelligent. //

Stop making excuses for them. I'm sure there are all sorts of reasons why they behave that way of which lack of intelligence would be just one. Others would be lack of morality, greed, selfishness, or any permutation of the above.

[ummmm]

And intelligent people can also lack morals, be selfish and be greedy

[Zacs-Master]

Houston isn't without its share of criminals it would seem from these figures:
https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/tx/houston/crime
I can't vouch for the accuracy of this site (it seems to be a but like our zoopla or up-my-street).
Criminals don't disappear in times of distress I'm afraid.

So to answer the OP. 'The same thing that's wrong with them any other time'.

[ludwig]

// And intelligent people can also lack morals, be selfish and be greedy //

Exactly, as can stupid ones. Any permutation is possible, which is why a massive generalisation asserting that criminal behaviour is basically comitted by people too stupid to know any better, is wrong, in my opinion.

[andy-hughes]

Ludwig - // // These people lack that capacity because they are unintelligent. //

Stop making excuses for them. I'm sure there are all sorts of reasons why they behave that way of which lack of intelligence would be just one. Others would be lack of morality, greed, selfishness, or any permutation of the above. //

What makes you think I am making excuses.

I did not say we should feel sorry for them because they behave in an anti-social way because they had bad childhoods or were potty-trained too early.

I don't excuse them in the slightest - I merely offer a possible theory as to why they behave the way they do.

[Zacs-Master]

'Criminal behaviour' needs defining in your argument Ludwig for your claim to be ratified. I'm pretty sure the intelligence it takes to be a looter is far lower than that of a fraudster / embezzler.

[-Talbot-]

What Ludwig said

[Zacs-Master]

.......Isn't helpful in this scenario

[ludwig]

// These people lack that capacity because they are unintelligent //

...sounds a bit like an excuse to me andy.

//'Criminal behaviour' needs defining in your argument Ludwig for your claim to be ratified.//

The claim I'm making is that there all all kinds of reasons why people indulge in crime, and all sorts of people with all sorts intelligence levels involved in it.
I would have thought that was pretty self-evident and not really in need of further ratification.

If you're saying, yes, but only stupid criminals do looting, the brainy ones stick to embezzlement, I wouldn't necessarily agree.

[Zacs-Master]

I think it would be fairly safe to say that, given the petty crime stats in my link, the looting was probably done by the less intelligent of Houston's criminal fraternity.

[david small]

They are opportunist low life, many rehoused after Katrina. Benefits forever brigade. Crime, drugs, thieves and very bad scummers. Racism aside, look at their colour. Liberals just love em all.

[Zacs-Master]

(ladies and gentlemen....thencan of worms is now......OPEN! )

[Zacs-Master]

The can

[albaqwerty]

Wonder how many have looted 50" tvs from under a few feet of flood water and think they're going to sit and watch them in their 'crib'?

[ladybirder]

^Lost the impact a bit there Zacs;-)