Poll: What is it with people automatically assuming humanity is a violent race?

[ExodusFlame]

All species are violent in some way it is how they have evolved and survived everything is prey for something else all be it to eat, fear, protection or even hate violence comes with all we as humans i would say are as violent as any species it varies on which particular subject you base it on.

Like comparing a household pet dog to a feral dog the feral dog may be much more violent than the household dog your evidence is only as good as the subject it is derived from.

All species have war just not in the same manner we do but that is a fear of each other and a need to protect ourselves from each other so we invent new ways to harm each other because if the threat is dead you do not have to fear it that is an evolution in itself so i Believe we are no better but no worse than any other species even herbivores can fight carnivores and win.

 

[LadyMint]

The only reason I would say that humans are more violent than other species on Earth is because I haven't personally heard of any other animals that regularly commit violence for no good reason. But if there are, then I would just say we're no violent than any other creature. Animals, for the most part, seem to commit violence for practice, food, dominance, revenge, defense, etc. Humans have those same reasons but there are also those that seem to decide one day to harm someone just for shiggles. Just got bored. Or some other pointless notion.

With science fiction, it does seem to be a common theme that humans are considered the most messed-up race, but I think that's just wishful thinking and lame social commentary on the part of the writers. Personally, I'm a bit annoyed by that trend as well. I think humanity is a good example of how an advanced species with a large population could have a variety of behaviors, some noticeably violent than others. To assume that an alien culture would completely develop to the point where they lived in absolute peace is to deny the idea that intelligent creatures develop individual personalities. And within even the smallest and most cooperative commune, there's at least one person who, if they felt they had an opportunity or choice, would take their life in a different and potentially catastrophic direction. Make that population big enough, and one of the different thinkers will find the means to do their own thing, especially if they realize they're one of few people willing to use the power that violence can give you in certain situations.

 

[Saerain]

I'm perplexed as to how we're to go about thinking about this until we encounter another sapient species for comparison.

 

[GasMasksAreForChumps]

Don't you know that violence makes the world go around? Joking aside, I don't think that we are inherently violent and blood thirsty, but are potrayed that way often in media.

 

[Psycho Cat Industries]

Well,show me another sentient species so we can compare.Otherwise,you're drawing straws at the evil alien or the comedic alien.

 

[Extragorey]

I believe the Matrix can be held up as an example almost everywhere. Like here.
Mans' inevitable curiosity into the secrets of nature and the temptations of science lead mankind into very deep water. Wars are a side effect.
And since no other "intelligent" races have really been found, mankind is the first and only.
In science fiction, however, there always seems to be a fair number of more violent races to me.
Usually the antagonist's race. But often not.

 

[Rex Fallout]

We have become less violent because, as I said, technology has made it so we don't have to be. As a species, we do what we have to, and war and violence is the darker half of ambition. We don't like it, but we need it. Without it we can't reach the heights that humanity is capable of. All our greatest inventions have been through desctruction. We smash two things together to make something new. Without conflict, there is nothing.

And another thought that I've been mulling over for a while, no other creature questions it's nature. They do what they do, with some devience but mostly they simply do it. Their nature is far beyond their comprehension and, as a species, human beings are constantly being reminded that, despite all we know, we have yet to even tap what we are capable of learning, and we have yet to figure out the human soul. Human nature is so monumentally complex that, as an individual we can't see it working within ourselves, it's just beyond our comprehension, but we're smart enough to question that. But when we look at the whole, when we look at a group of people, we start to see it. Again, it's a big thing, so what we see is miniscule, but it's there.

Also, letting everyone believe what they believe goes against multiple belief systems, so you're already going against what you said. Ignoring that, multple facets of each individuals belief, even if we broaden it to, say, religion, conflict wildly, and the only way to make happen what you've described above would be a sort of mind control that's usually reserved for sci-fi interpretations of totalitarian dictatorships.

Or you could have a society like the United States. Millions of people believe different things, and even if we hate each other- we still have almost no large scale violence. In fact in the past 20 years violence has dropped. Oh but of course I'm sorry, Our system wont work in other countries. I assume it has something to do with time paradoxes and how freedom just doesn't work as well on a different spot on the globe. We have many problems. Tolerance, isn't hardly one of them.

 

[Kraj]

I don't think we're any more or less violent than any other species. We just happen to be blessed/cursed with technological innovation, so instead of biting and kicking we stab and shoot guns. or bombs...

 

[Hashime]

I have never seen another sapient species so I cannot answer that. In regards to sci-fi, the writers write the other advanced races as an ideal for us to be compared against.

 

[dyre]

eh, as far as I know, humanity isn't always the most violent race in most sci-fi with other sentient races involved.

Humanity is usually a race with a pretty powerful military / space fleet, but they don't go around slaughtering other alien races or anything

 

[SUPA FRANKY]

Ok, I really need to say this. How about we just say its free will?

People have the possibility to do great good and great evil. It all depends on their ideals and how many people are willing to stand with them. Though we've had many wars and murders over trivial things, we also would go out of our way to help people and show restraint when we see something we don't like.

So what I'm trying to get at is. It's the person, not the people! ( I know, corny.)

 

[Jessta]

well I can't say about the universe but humanity has developed to the point where we don't just have survive as comfortably as possible goal anymore, we have such things as greed and ambitions as well as jealousy and pride, which leads to violence far beyond the point of survival, something that most other species don't tend to do. (note I say most, I know that there are things like cats which take a great of pleasure in inflicting pain to others.)
But seriously as far as all the species on the earth goes you don't see anything else inflicting such devastation as the Abomb or even the gun.
humans are more complicated than other animals or plants so it makes sense we would have a vaster scope of things on terms of benevolence and malevolence.

 

[ntw3001]

Because people think it's terribly clever to dismiss the entire human species like they're not one of them. No, humans aren't violent in general. I'm not violent, you're probably not, nobody is genuinely violent unless they suffer unusual psychological issues. Wars aren't the sign of an inherently bloodthirsty people; people don't start wars for the sake of a fight. War is one of the tools those in power use to perpetuate the status quo, be that their own personal gain or a political ideal. And however appealing diplomacy may be in reaching compromises, it's a necessary fact that killing one's opponents always exists as the most effective means of curtailing an opponent's capacity to respond.

So, yeah. War isn't an act performed for the sake of violence. It's the sign of a factional society. I would say it's pretty naive to suppose it might not be part of the history of any sentient, mortal species, and probably a constant at any level of advancement. As long as conflict exists, there will be power disputes, and violent means are necessarily the ultimate means of power projection. The only other option is the hive mind! Who's in?

 

[TheDooD]

Humanity is normally the 2nd most violent when it comes to the alien race we're shooting at.

 

[Jonluw]

I don't see humanity as any more or less violent than any other species.
I've never really seen this assumption that humanity is the most violent been made either.
[sub]Stop calling humans a race. Here's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_%28biology%29] what a race is.[/sub]

...any particular reason why you're being pedantic over it?

Only that I find the notion that humans are a race bloody annoying.

In general, I just hate it when people don't use words for what they actually mean. Words have a meaning. There are other words that actually mean what you're trying to say. That's what they're there for. Particularly in cases like this, where the common phrase "the human race" easily can lead people to believe (and I believe I indeed have seen this claim been made) that humans actually are a race, per definition, and that there is no such thing as different races of humans.