Elijah John wrote: The average person in any society is not completely bad, or completely good. That is observable and just a fact.
I used to believe this too, even just a few months ago. Now I’m not convinced of this.
My argument is not whether people can do good or bad things. Of course everyone can do good and bad things. My argument is, if sufficiently tested, anyone can do the most evil and vile things. I’ve presented three evidence of this so far – Rhythm 0, Milgram experiment, and Chinese drivers. Anyone can do good when things are going well, but the question is what would people do when tested? Is it possible for ordinary people to administer fatal electric shocks to others? As the Milgram experiment showed, yes, it is very possible. Given that regular people can easily commit such acts, what’s the difference between a typical American and someone who worked at a Nazi concentration camp during WWII? The only difference is the luck of the draw on when and where one was born.
Another example of how we fail the test… What would men (and women) of power and money do if they can sexually exploit another and feel they can get away with it?
Exhibit 4: #MeToo
#MeToo Brought Down 201 Powerful Men.They had often gotten away with it for years, and for those they harassed, it seemed as if the perpetrators would never pay any consequences. Then came the report that detailed Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assaults and harassment, and his fall from Hollywood’s heights.
A year later, even as the #MeToo movement meets a crackling backlash, it’s possible to take some stock of how the Weinstein case has changed the corridors of power.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/201 … ments.html
100 powerful men accused of sexual misconduct:
https://www.glamour.com/gallery/post-we … llegations
A case study of Jeffrey Epstein gives a glimpse of how evil someone can be.
“Epstein’s case is an example of how wealthy and powerful men can get away with sexual abuse.”
Epstein was a businessman with lots of money and political connections. Epstein was described as “one of the most pleasant philanthropists” by Alan Dershowitz. But, he also had a penchant for sexual activity with underage girls. He operated a “sex pyramid scheme” and sexually exploited dozens of underage girls between 2002 and 2005. In 2008, US attorney Acosta worked out a plea deal that no ordinary person could’ve ever received. Epstein pleaded guilty to two charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution and spent 13 months in “prison” while allowed to be released during the day to allow him to work in an office. Though he was a registered sex offender, he could freely travel to anywhere he wanted. The plea deal was kept secret from the victims. The Miami Herald described the plea deal as “one of the most lenient sentences for a serial sex offender in US history.”
“The fact that Epstein avoided serious punishment for years is a reminder that the American justice system has long been all too willing to ignore the words of girls and women, especially when they accuse a wealthy and influential man.”
https://www.vox.com/2018/12/3/18116351/ … mp-clinton
Epstein was arrested on July 2019 and scheduled for trial in New York. But due to “a perfect storm of screw-ups”, he died in his cell on Aug 2019 before the trial. Though the coroner reported his death by suicide, another report said the evidence is “much more consistent with homicidal strangulation than suicide.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Jeffrey_Epstein
Whether his death was by suicide or homicide, involvement by outsiders was required for all the precautionary measures to be removed. And there will be no justice done for all his victims, except for God’s judgment.
So, if someone is powerful and can take advantage of a weaker person sexually, can he or she resist the temptation? For many it would be no.
https://debatingchristianity.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1003324#p1003324