Poll: People: Good or Bad?

[MasterOfWorlds]

Do you think that people are generally good, bad, or somewhere in between? I'm not asking if people are born one way or another, I'm asking if you believe that people as a whole are basically good or bad.

What are your thoughts and why?

EDIT:

Here's an example. PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Would you have considered the below as an option had I not suggested it for the scenario?




Say you're at a restaurant. It's busy. The check is on your table, but you could walk out without paying and probably never get caught because it's so busy. Would you leave without paying?

 

[BreakfastMan]

I say neutral. "Good" and "Bad" are such nebulous terms that it is hard to answer anything else than neutral. Everyone has a different definition of how a "Good" person acts or how a "Bad" person acts. Factoring that into the equation, I find it hard to say anything else than neutral.

 

[jhlip]

I feel that the answer to this question is such a gray area that to have a simple yes or no as an acceptable answer defeats the purpose. I am not talking down to you or anyone else when I say this, its just that I was raised to always see the world gray because black and white answers are an extreme rarity. But I will say that the answer does lean towards the good side rather than the bad side in my opinion. And no, I would not leave without paying.

 

[GodofCider]

Well, from an evolutionary survival aspect: good. Else we'd all be dead.

 

[sam42ification]

I think i can't really be answer by other humans. We are biast and our oppinions are completely reflected on how you your selve veiw the every day people around you. For example every day i catch an hour long bus trip into school. I view human behaviour by what happens on the bus so every one is a giant dick head. but if i were to view human behaviour by how my freinds behave then suddenly every human is ok we all have our ups and downs. Were biast we don't concider alternatives. to truley answer this question you would need some alien race that have been watching us since we were apes. personally i think were all dicks who deserve to die horribly but thats my biast depressed opinion that doesn't mean anything.

 

[LandoCristo]

I'm typically a cynic, so if I go around assuming that 90% of everything is shit, then I'll rarely be disappointed.

But really, it depends on how you look at it. If you leave your wallet in a place full of PEOPLE, chances are you'll never see it again (or if you do, it will be considerably lighter), but if you leave your wallet with a PERSON, it'll probably (PROBABLY) be just fine. Because I believe that while a person can be considerate, thoughtful, and respectful of others, people will shit on your lunch more often than not.

I may get this view from the fact that in a crowd of people, only the idiots stand out, but I still roll with this philosophy anyways.

 

[Wolf-AUS]

I so want to say good, but through my encounters with people I can't say that whole-heartedly. It's unfortunate I think.

 

[Purple Shrimp]

good

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

Uh...neither?

"Good" and "bad" are concepts created by humans, and informed by cultural and personal subjectivity.

Abstract and il-defined.

 

[Garrsus]

this really points out that the escapist is full of misanthropes and masochists.
but hey i think it depends on whats happening.

 

[FamoFunk]

Good. Bad people, like in your example are the minority, but with such things like the Media, the minority (esp if it's bad) gets more attention, therefor a lot of people will think there's more bad people.

 

[Rylot]

I'd say people are mostly neutral while leaning towards being kinda dicks to each other, not out right villainy, but we don't always treat each other very well.

 

[Griffstar]

I would say good if my previous encounters with fellow humans were good.

 

[drbarno]

I would say neutral, but generally more to the good side.

I know in the scenario the OP put up there I would pay, seeing as I had just had a service and they should get money for it.

while people may seem bad upon impression, I think they generally are good in some way that balances out the bad, but some things are a bit too far.

 

[Brandon237]

Here's an example. PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Would you have considered the below as an option had I not suggested it for the scenario?

Say you're at a restaurant. It's busy. The check is on your table, but you could walk out without paying and probably never get caught because it's so busy. Would you leave without paying?

That is being civilised and not skirting the law with very bad possible repercussions. I consider being good going out of your way to be helpful and protect/ counsel/ give to others, not simply following the law.

And as for the state of the planet, Humans are the worst species to have ever entered the natural world.
This by no means is proof that we are evil per se, just doing what is most immediately beneficial for civilisation and ourselves. What makes people special is that we have enough of a conscience to act in a manner that is good or bad, in which case it varies from person to person. Please ask a less vague question, you are killing me here! (The sort of thing a bad person would do )

 

[Falseprophet]

Most of us don't eat each other, most of the time we're content to argue with each other instead of perpetuate violence, and we are so sensitive towards other living creatures that a scene from the film The Perfect Storm showing fishermen gutting and cleaning fish was done with CGI. Looking at the big picture I'd say we're pretty decent folk overall.

 

[Daveeo]

I believe the human is generally good when their life is not threatened, altought if we would destroy our society and leave the world in ararchy, then i believe the human race would show it´s grim face

 

[CATB320]

To quote Robert Heinlein, "I believe in my fellow citizens. Our headlines are splashed with crime, yet for every criminal there are 10,000 honest decent kindly men. If it were not so, no child would live to grow up, business could not go on from day to day. Decency is not news; it is buried in the obituaries --but it is a force stronger than crime."

 

[Samwise137]

People are basically stupid. Thus, if stupidity suggests that they be good, they are good. If stupidity would have them be bad, they are bad. Though, perhaps stupid is the wrong word. Perhaps "people are ignorant" might better summarize my thought process.

 

[Squeaky]

Probly been said but there are 2 sides to every coin, everyone has a breaking point no matter what they may think, say or believe everyone is capable of great or evil things its more down to the situation rather than the person them selves.