Everyday Sadism

While at work today, I finished our mandatory training on "homeless in the library." Some of the larger libraries in our district have had problems with homeless people behaving disruptively, so everyone was required to take this online course.

Fortunately, the course wasn't the usual half-assed bullshit, and one aspect in particular struck me as worthy of mention: everyday sadists. No, not BDSM sadism. People who get a thrill out of inflicting pain on others, or just watching others suffer. The homeless face this threat more than most, because they have no power in society. They are the lowest of the low, and often outside the law, making them the most risk-free target a sadist can choose.

Now, as someone who actively flags spammers here on Steemit, I know I am open to such accusations, but I try to offer an explanation for the flag as a comment. I have removed flags when people explain their side of the story and persuade me I was mistaken. The everyday sadist, though, is the kind of person we have all met. The downvote-just-because-I-can person. The insult-spewing person. The rage-fueled all-caps profanity person. The troll. The "go kill yourself" response. The internet reveals the true nature of people. Those who are civil and principled online are probably civil in person. Those who are uncivil online may wear a mask of civility in meatspace, but are potentially the kind of people who would also abuse the homeless, workplace underlings, or anyone else who they view as a helpless victim in their opportunistic analysis.

Worst of all, I think this is the kind of person most drawn to positions of power where they can abuse others with a veneer of legitimacy. Corporate management. Politics. Police. Military. You know the type. Many of us have been subjected to this kind of abuse.

Now imagine the position of the homeless with no money, no connections, no support systems, and no other recourse. Yes, some are there by choice, but others have mental, physical, or psychological problems. This reduces their capacity to handle such abuse even more.

Then the politicians tell us the solution is to give them more money and power to fix the problem of homelessness, and accuse those of us who express skepticism of being sadistic heartless monsters.

It is a strange world.