I really don't like what this says about me...

[Antisocial_Worker]

Here's my problem. At the moment, I'm in college and it's the summer semester. One of my classes is an art class and the assignment for this week was to pick a work (visual, music, sculpture, etc.) that best illustrates our view of human nature. Then we had to explain how it illustrates our view of human nature.

The first work to come to mind was "The Problem We All Live With" by Norman Rockwell.

Looking for a good image of this painting led me to others that seemed appropriate, like "Southern Justice", "Blood Brothers", and "Love Ouanga". One by one, I rejected these on the basis of being too hopeful. The work I finally settled on was this one. Be warned -- it's very graphic, and very disturbing.

It's a photo taken in Marion, Indiana, in 1930 that shows a crowd in a fine mood celebrating at the base of a tree from which two black men have been hanged.

That's my take on human nature. And remember that I rejected the others for being too hopeful. "Southern Justice," in particular seemed to indicate that even in the face of horror and injustice, there is nobility. That painting depicts an actual event, and the white man standing will die, but still he faces his killers, while holding the dying black man and while the other white man lies dead.

That was too hopeful. I went with the photo of the crowd picnicking under the hanging bodies of the two men it just murdered in cold blood. Look over at the happy people on the left, especially.

Am I really that hopeless?

[AccountingDrone]

I prefer Blood Brothers, myself if we are looking at graphics.

I am not sure if you think that human nature is a mob mentality that might lead to atrocious behaviors ...

[Seshat]

No, you aren't.

Because you're asking.


Also, because you're going into social work. Because you give a damn. Because you believe there are innocents - and you believe in innocence.

Oh, there are limits to your trust. And limits to innocence. But hey, I'm one of the pollyannas around here, and I believe in limits to both trust and innocence.

But you wouldn't be going into social work if you didn't believe in the possibility of change. You just see mobs for what they are - creatures with a hundred legs and no head, and no heart.

[AnaKhouri]

I myself am a much more optimistic person, but I don't think there's anything wrong with you feeling this way. People do terrible things, it's a fact.

But as long as you don't give up and just watch these terrible things happen, you're not hopeless. And what you're doing now tells me you're not going to stand by and look on.

[Pixilated]

I myself am a much more optimistic person, but I don't think there's anything wrong with you feeling this way. People do terrible things, it's a fact.

But as long as you don't give up and just watch these terrible things happen, you're not hopeless. And what you're doing now tells me you're not going to stand by and look on.

I agree with this.

If you look back through history, we really are in better shape now than in the past. We recognize that certain behaviours are unacceptable, even if our enforcing of laws in those cases is sometimes sketchy.

However, having said that, I also think our current behaviour is largely due to a thin veneer of civilization, and if that veneer is ripped off -- look out. We could -- and many would -- revert in the snap of your fingers. I mean, have you heard about the fallout from that Cheerios commercial with the biracial family?

And you will come across terrible things as a social worker, but the mere fact that you are going into social work shows that you are someone who wants to help make changes for the better. So I agree that you are not hopeless. You are a realist ... these things certainly have happened ... but somewhere inside you is an optimist. Because otherwise you would not be going into the field you are training for.

[Grendus]

A lot depends on why you feel those represent your view of human nature. Are we driven to clash purely on the basis of someone being different - dividing ourselves into "us" and "them" and then trying to exterminate the latter? Are those images the nightmares of our past, reminding us how quickly we can become monsters if we let our guard down? Are those images a reflection of who we really are as humans, under our thin mask of "enlightenment"? Negative images can still have a positive message, it's all about how you view them.

[Antisocial_Worker]

Apparently my undisguised contempt for humanity impressed my teacher. I got a 100 on this assignment.

[Tama]

See, being a pessimist pays off sometimes.

Interesting assignment...

[aurelemsrealm]

I don't consider myself hopeless. I certainly understand your point. I think that really is an accurate description of life.

However, I'm going to change directions here. All we can do is fight back by carving out our own place in the world. It's like you have to be willing to fight for what you believe in to have any hope of finding happiness. You have to be willing to create your own security and well being in spite of those who would take it away from you. It just comes down to being strong enough to stand and survive. That is why I don't consider myself hopeless. Take from that what you wish.