To what extent do you feel sorry for people who make incredibly stupid decisions?

[Remus]

Too many conscious, stupid decisions here for me to feel sorry for this guy. There are some places free-thinking people should not go, and at the top of that list is North Korea. Second, Moscow. Anyplace where you can get murdered behind the dumptruck or the capitol building for saying the wrong thing, scratch that immediately off your list of travel destinations. Give these idiots a wide berth and let them destroy themselves from within with their isolationist views. Laugh at them when they are dust, not in their faces, in their back yard.

 

[Auron225]

For me, there's a couple of factors;

1) Did they mean well? Even if what they did was stupid - if there were good intentions behind it, then I empathise more (even if the outcome was predictably bad).

2) Did they ignore sound advice in doing it? If whoever did what wilfully ignored some great advice they received to not it, then it's harder for me to have sympathy for them.

In you NK example... well shit, 15 years is a long time so as outright stupid as it was - yeah, I empathise with the guy. For a crime as trivial as that to result in such a lengthy punishment is just sad.

 

[JaKandDaxter]

It really is a case by case basis. Just yesterday I encountered a woman whose a first time mother, and is not only stressed out at her new responsibilities. The kid's father is not giving the financial support needed to raise a kid. And she's resorting to asking other people such as friends, for money.

Idk how exactly everything was said, but she pretty much was asking a relative of mine for money. A relative with a wife and 3 kids to support in an expensive city. And the wife was not happy about this person asking on more than one occasion for money. And to be quite honest, no one other than the parents of said kid is obligated to support someone else's kid in any way. If someone wishes to give you some cash or items of need, that's their own personal choice as a kind gesture out of their heart. And they should not be pressured to do it again. It after all, was a personal decision by the mother and father of the kid to engage in a sexual relationship. And now they're reaping what they sow for engaging in a fragile relationship with a dishonest partner.

I usually do feel sympathy for single parents. But knowing the above information regarding this particular woman, I think she's in need of rebuke. And she should start filing for full custody and child support payments immediately if she hasn't. Along with seeking out government programs, and charities for food pantries and donations.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

I feel sorry for the guy in the obvious sense that his punishment is WAAAAYYYY too high for what he did, but as many have noted here, this was not really a split second decision: this guy made a conscious choice to go to one of the most oppressive places in the world, made travel arrangements and everything else, and then decides to do something dumb. So in that case: yeah, I have a hard time feeling a ton of sympathy for him.

When you've made one dumb decision, I can feel a certain degree of sympathy for you, but when you continuously make stupid decisions, it can be difficult. If a woman gets impregnated by a guy who is a scumbag and won't support the kid, I feel sympathy for her. When it's happened to her 3 times...yeah, fresh out.

 

[omega 616]

Fucking zero!

If something happens to you, that is fully in your control (like when I watch instant karma vids) then you deserve whatever unfavourable things happen to you. You get black out drunk (wait for it) and wake up with the mother of all hang overs, I don't feel sorry, I am making it worse for you.

You go to North Korea, first of all, WHY!? what the fuck is wrong with you? Millions of beautiful places to go and you think "I'd rather go to a dictatorship" ... if you wanted to be a bit more abnormal, go to somewhere like Germany (it's not a typical tourist destination but I am sure it's very nice!) or Sweden or something.

Secondly, why the fuck would you fuck around in a place as strict as north Korea? 'cos you're some preppy white kid who has always gotten away with being a little shit, so you figure "I'm American and middle class, any trouble I get in will be solved by either my parents or my government, so fuck it!".

Those years of hard labour will make one hell of a man out of him, at least I hope so. Be good to have a somewhat rich kid who HAS had to do more than one days hard work, maybe he will go back to America and run for president and make the working class happy.

 

[Creator002]

About 5 years ago, there was a car full of (drunk) young adults going 140KM/h on an 80KM road. They crashed into a tree a few houses down from mine and all but one died. I feel sympathy for the parents and angry because they could've gone through my or my neighbors' fence. They got into the car, they drove 60KM over the speed limit. No sympathy.
I think the punishment is unfair, but anyone who's been keeping up with the news should assume that sneezing in the vicinity of Mr. Kim is punishable by death.

 

[Abomination]

I can't see how this could be "victim blaming" considering how this person has been convicted of theft. He's the exact opposite of a victim.

I think we have a word for that.

Criminal? Yeah, that's it.

And he chose to effectively deface an item that is considered a monument by the nation he was residing in at the time.

Zero sympathy.

Great lesson for anyone thinking about traveling to any police state - don't do stupid shit that'll piss off the police state.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

No sympathy.....we all know that the NK is a dictatorship and the relationship between them and the USA. Its like those idiots that try and smuggle drugs out of countries that have severe anti drug laws involving life in some squalid shit hole prison or the death penalty. You do something stupid when you should know better then you will just have to face the consequences.

 

[Silvanus]

No sympathy.....we all know that the NK is a dictatorship and the relationship between them and the USA. Its like those idiots that try and smuggle drugs out of countries that have severe anti drug laws involving life in some squalid shit hole prison or the death penalty. You do something stupid when you should know better then you will just have to face the consequences.

Well, we don't actually know that the guy did this. We only have the dictatorship's word for it; their known tendency for coercion renders the confession suspect.

I can't see how this could be "victim blaming" considering how this person has been convicted of theft. He's the exact opposite of a victim.

I think we have a word for that.

Criminal? Yeah, that's it.

And he chose to effectively deface an item that is considered a monument by the nation he was residing in at the time.

Zero sympathy.

Great lesson for anyone thinking about traveling to any police state - don't do stupid shit that'll piss off the police state.

Do you believe that any punishment is fit for any crime? This is out of all proportion (as is most punishments in NK).

 

[JaKandDaxter]

I'm pretty sure I felt a little bad for someone making a really bad decision. But I can't think of an instance. I saw this on my facebook feed yesterday in a video, and it was sickening.

Long story short. Young teenager breaks into a house. Homeowner security system notified her, and the homeowmer rushed home with her gun to defend her property. Her house was also robbed before. There was some sort of confrontation, and she fires one shot killing the intruding teenager. The below is what his cousin said. Typical he was a good kid story with goals, and worse.

"You have to look at it from every child?s point of view that was raised in the hood,? said Harris. ?You have to understand? how he gonna get his money to have clothes to go to school? You have to look at it from his point-of-view.?.

She justfied her cousin stealing from a person who work for what she has. And who had nothing to do with her cousin financial situation. If there's anything I feel somewhat bad about in this story. Is the terrible family that kid was raised in. With a victim and spoiled mindset that if I can't have it. I'll take it by force. And that greed is what ultimately got him killed.

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2016/03/11/teen-burglary-suspect-killed-homeowner/

 

[Saltyk]

I work with a guy that constantly makes bad decisions. I joke that my motto is: "What would he do? Do the opposite."

I'm not joking when I say that this guy seems terminally unable to make a good decision. Literally everything that is wrong in his life is a result of his own bad decision making. The one thing that I might have been willing to give him as him being a victim, I really can't. I just think that he probably pushed that along with his attitude and the way he treated that person, if the way he talked about her is any indication.

I really can't feel bad for a person who suffers because of their own stupid actions. I've suffered from my own actions and I don't drown in misery. I accept that I was dumb and move along. Though I certainly haven't ruined my life with idiocy.

As for the guy in Korea that OP mentions, I have mixed views. It is obviously wrong that North Korea is doing this to him.

On the other hand, you would have to be an idiot to go to North Korea and not behave perfectly, especially as an American. Hell, as an American, you have to be an idiot to go to North Korea at all. You know they are looking for reasons to arrest you. You can't even get there by going directly. You have to go to China and then enter North Korea. So, how does someone go to all that effort, and likely research, and not know to behave perfectly?

I tend to feel bad for people who suffer far greater repercussions than they should have reasonably expected. I feel bad for people who suffer for no fault of their own. I don't feel bad for people who make their own beds and have to lie in them.

 

[Abomination]

I can't see how this could be "victim blaming" considering how this person has been convicted of theft. He's the exact opposite of a victim.

I think we have a word for that.

Criminal? Yeah, that's it.

And he chose to effectively deface an item that is considered a monument by the nation he was residing in at the time.

Zero sympathy.

Great lesson for anyone thinking about traveling to any police state - don't do stupid shit that'll piss off the police state.

Do you believe that any punishment is fit for any crime? This is out of all proportion (as is most punishments in NK).

How NK administers punishment is the reason I have no sympathy. He knew the country he was going to. I have more sympathy for the citizens of NK than I would for any tourist there.

Going to NK is a stupid decision. Play stupid games. Win stupid prizes.

 

[Tsun Tzu]

Of course there's a certain level of empathy.

They're, in effect, victims of their own stupidity.

Now, does having a slight soft spot for the mentally...deficient prevent me from having the occasional laugh at their expense or stop me from indulging in semi-frequent bouts of face-palming?

Of course not.

In this particular case, however, with the North Korea thing, I do think the guy made a stupid decision to even go there, but I completely don't believe that he actually did anything more than walk across the border. I mean- It's North Korea. Why the hell would anybody trust their word on this sort of thing?

Especially when what they're having him admit to doesn't jive with reality.

 

[Guitarmasterx7]

I guess that depends on the nature of the stupid decision. If it's a harmless stupid decision maybe there's some empathy there. If it's something that's malicious or reckless to the degree that it could hurt other people, then I'm less inclined to feel sorry for them.

 

[Remus]

I guess that depends on the nature of the stupid decision. If it's a harmless stupid decision maybe there's some empathy there. If it's something that's malicious or reckless to the degree that it could hurt other people, then I'm less inclined to feel sorry for them.

You didn't read the OP did you?

 

[cthulhuspawn82]

Going to North Korea at all is a stupid idea and the guy should have known better. That being said, It's sad to see how we have problems with countries like North Korea imprisoning American citizens for years for silly things like tearing down a poster or hiking in the wrong area. Why dont we just send an envoy to collect them and bring them home? "Hi, I represent a country that could wipe you from the face of the earth without breaking a sweat. I'm here to collect some of our citizens."

 

[Einspanner]

I feel pretty badly for them. Either they're so stupid and short-sighted that I think it qualifies as being dealt a bad hand in the brains department, or they're just incredibly unlucky that their bad decisions proved to carry such terrible consequences. Can you imagine if you were held to this level of account for every boneheaded maneuver you made? I've done things that were, in their own way, probably about as risky (looking at the numbers) as a trip to North Korea. You probably have too, unless you're a stay-at-home Mormon.

Going to North Korea at all is a stupid idea and the guy should have known better. That being said, It's sad to see how we have problems with countries like North Korea imprisoning American citizens for years for silly things like tearing down a poster or hiking in the wrong area. Why dont we just send an envoy to collect them and bring them home? "Hi, I represent a country that could wipe you from the face of the earth without breaking a sweat. I'm here to collect some of our citizens."

Because we can't wipe them from the face of the Earth? It's really not an option. The best we could hope for is that we could avenge Seoul. Meanwhile, not acting like swaggering dickheads stands to gain a lot. Nations can't afford to act like internet tough guys, when we do, we lose 6 trillion dollars in the desert.

 

[GrumbleGrump]

Generally I stop being sorry begin laughing when they do something that is BLATANTLY a bad idea. Like holding on to high tension cables, drinking rubbing alcohol, headbutting a wall, etc.

 

[mduncan50]

No sympathy.....we all know that the NK is a dictatorship and the relationship between them and the USA. Its like those idiots that try and smuggle drugs out of countries that have severe anti drug laws involving life in some squalid shit hole prison or the death penalty. You do something stupid when you should know better then you will just have to face the consequences.

Well, we don't actually know that the guy did this. We only have the dictatorship's word for it; their known tendency for coercion renders the confession suspect.

I can't see how this could be "victim blaming" considering how this person has been convicted of theft. He's the exact opposite of a victim.

I think we have a word for that.

Criminal? Yeah, that's it.

And he chose to effectively deface an item that is considered a monument by the nation he was residing in at the time.

Zero sympathy.

Great lesson for anyone thinking about traveling to any police state - don't do stupid shit that'll piss off the police state.

Do you believe that any punishment is fit for any crime? This is out of all proportion (as is most punishments in NK).

There are some countries in the world where a man can rape a woman and will not be punished. If that man were to come to your country and rape a woman and then get sent to prison would you have sympathy for him because the punishment is excessive compared to the judicial system he comes from?