Evil feels good. That is why it is so hard for us to know that our actions may have evil consequences. Consequences show whether actions are evil or not. Intentions mean nothing when another person is greatly harmed.
This article uses a case study of a young man who committed suicide after his college roommate posted a video of him being intimate with another man. The man who videotaped was just having fun. He did not think about how the videotaped young man would feel. He only thought about the fun he was having. The lesson learned is to think before you act, no matter how much fun you think you are going to have, or how good doing something will make you feel.
Evil feels good. That is why it is so hard for us to know that our actions may have evil consequences. Consequences show whether actions are evil or not. Intentions mean nothing when another person is greatly harmed.
This article uses a case study of a young man who committed suicide after his college roommate posted a video of him being intimate with another man. The man who videotaped was just having fun. He did not think about how the videotaped young man would feel. He only thought about the fun he was having. The lesson learned is to think before you act, no matter how much fun you think you are going to have, or how good doing something will make you feel.
Evil feels good. That is why it is so hard for us to know that our actions may have evil consequences. Consequences show whether actions are evil or not. Intentions mean nothing when another person is greatly harmed.
This article uses a case study of a young man who committed suicide after his college roommate posted a video of him being intimate with another man. The man who videotaped was just having fun. He did not think about how the videotaped young man would feel. He only thought about the fun he was having. The lesson learned is to think before you act, no matter how much fun you think you are going to have, or how good doing something will make you feel.
An Occasional Publication for Persons Interested in Violence Prevention In order to prevent violence, we have to understand it ______________________________________________________________________________________ Volume 1, Number 2 September 2010 ______________________________________________________________________________
Evil
Feels
Good:
Think
Before
You
Act
By
Jane
Gilgun
“Consequences
show
whether
actions
are
evil
or
not.”
The
funny
thing
about
evil
is
that
it
feels
good
when
we
do
it.
That’s
why
it’s
so
hard
for
us
to
recognize
evil
when
we
commit
it.
People
who
do
evil
think
a
lot
of
different
things,
all
of
them
pleasant
and
even
compelling
to
themselves.
A
case
in
point
is
the
actions
of
an
18-‐year-‐old
New
Jersey
college
student
who
secretly
videotaped
his
roommate
being
intimate
with
another
man
in
their
dorm
room
and
then
posting
the
video
on
the
internet.
On
September
19,
he
wrote
on
Twitter,
“Roommate
asked
for
room
until
midnight.
I
went
into
molly’s
room
and
turned
on
my
webcam.
I
saw
him
making
out
with
a
dude.
Yay.”
A
few
days
later
on
September
22,
the
videotaped
young
man
jumped
off
the
George
Washington
Bridge.
The
police
found
his
body
nine
days
later.
The
day
he
jumped,
he
left
a
message
on
Facebook
that
read,
“Jumping
off
the
gw
bridge
sorry.”
The
young
man
who
videotaped
posted
a
Twitter
message
the
day
before
the
suicide,
“Anyone
with
iChat,
I
dare
you
to
video
chat
me
between
the
hours
of
9:30
and
12.
Yes,
it’s
happening
again.”
This
was
fun
for
the
man
who
did
the
videotaping
and
then
made
it
available
on
the
internet.
It
was
the
end
of
the
world
for
the
young
man
who
was
videotaped.
Evil
as
Sport
The
chair
of
a
gay
rights
group
said,
“We
are
sickened
that
anyone
in
our
society…might
consider
destroying
others’
lives
as
a
sport.”
The
young
man
who
videotaped
did
make
a
sport
out
of
someone
else’s
intimacies.
He
may
have
thought
that
gay
baiting
is
a
legitimate
sport.
Plenty
of
people
believe
that.
I
think
he
was
caught
up
in
the
fun
of
posting
the
videotape.
He
probably
thought
the
video
would
be
funny
for
many
other
people.
It
may
have
been.
I
do
not
think
he
meant
to
destroy
a
life.
I
do
not
think
he
thought
that
far
ahead.
Now
It’s
Too
Late
The
man
who
videotaped
is
not
having
fun
anymore.
The
police
charged
him
with
two
counts
of
invasion
of
privacy,
which
carries
a
maximum
penalty
of
five
years
in
prison.
Some
are
calling
for
hate
crime
charges
that
have
severe
penalties,
too.
His
university
expelled
him.
This
young
man
did
not
think
that
his
roommate
would
be
so
hurt
that
he
would
kill
himself.
He
thought
no
further
than
the
fun
he
was
having.
If
it’s
fun,
do
it.
That’s
what
guided
him.
Evil
Actions
do
Not
Fit
Stereotypes
Like
others
who
do
evil,
the
man
who
videotaped
had
the
respect
of
friends
and
the
love
of
his
family.
Students
from
the
high
school
where
he
had
graduated
in
June
described
him
as
kind
and
from
a
loving
family.
He
was
voted
“best
dancer.”
His
parents
took
out
an
ad
in
the
yearbook
that
read
in
part,
“It
has
been
a
pleasure
watching
you
grow
into
a
caring
and
responsible
person.”
This
brief
portrait
shows
that
we
can’t
rely
on
stereotypes
to
identify
people
who
do
evil
acts.
Most
people
who
do
great
harm
to
others
do
not
have
pencil
thin
mustaches,
slick-‐backed
hair,
staring
eyes,
and
wear
a
cloak
that
they
use
to
cover
the
lower
part
of
their
faces.
They
look
like
you
and
me.
Consequences
Show
Whether
Actions
are
Evil
Some
of
the
students
at
the
university
where
the
crime
occurred
debated
whether
the
man’s
actions
were
a
thoughtless
prank
or
a
heinous
crime.
Evil
acts
are
not
usually
evil
in
intent.
People
who
commit
great
harm
set
out
to
have
a
good
time
or
to
satisfy
some
desire
for
wholeness
and
pleasure.
Evil
acts
such
as
uploading
a
video
of
private
acts
are
in
the
minds
of
actors
harmless
pranks,
but
in
the
consequences
they
are
heinous
crimes.
Consequences
show
whether
actions
are
evil
or
not.
Intentions
mean
nothing
when
another
person
is
greatly
harmed.
Civility
Training
The
university
that
the
two
young
men
attended
had
been
planning
civility
training
to
prevent
hurtful
uses
of
technology
and
group
psychology.
The
training
starting
just
days
ago.
This
incident
gave
renewed
energy
for
the
training
to
a
dazed
and
traumatized
student
body.
Needed:
Accountability
Training
The
university
might
consider
accountability
training.
Most
people
would
undo
the
hurt
they
cause.
After
all,
they
did
not
mean
to
hurt
anyone
in
the
first
place.
They
had
been
selfish
and
thought
only
of
themselves.
Such
persons,
and
this
is
pretty
much
all
of
us,
need
pointers
on
how
to
make
up
for
what
they
have
done.
They
know
they
have
lost
the
respect
of
people
who
are
important
to
them.
Here
are
some
things
we
can
do.
• Admit
it.
State
clearly
and
completely
what
you
did.
• Describe
effects
of
your
actions
on
the
people
you
hurt.
Be
clear
and
concise,
but
give
details
on
how
your
actions
affected
others.
• Take
complete
responsibility.
Do
not
make
jokes,
blame
others,
or
plead
extenuating
circumstances.
After
all,
you
did
do
it.
• Say
you
are
sorry
and
mean
it.
As
you
speak,
notice
whether
you
actually
do
feel
sorry.
If
you
do
not,
you
are
not
being
accountable.
• Accept
recrimination.
Listen
and
hear
what
the
people
you
have
harmed
have
to
say
about
your
actions.
• Do
not
repeat
your
harmful
actions,
no
matter
how
good
you
think
these
actions
will
make
you
feel.
Statements
of
accountability
and
apology
mean
nothing
if
you
turn
right
around
and
hurt
others
once
again.
If
we
do
this,
we
may
earn
our
way
back
into
the
good
graces
of
people
who
have
lost
respect
for
us
because
of
our
harmful
actions.
If
people
respect
you
because
you
committed
harmful
acts,
then
you
may
have
to
re-‐think
whether
you
want
that
kind
of
respect.
What
kind
of
person
are
you?
If
it
Feels
Good,
Think
The
lesson
to
be
learned
is,
that
if
it
feels
good,
think
ahead
before
you
act.
Ask,
will
this
hurt
anyone?
What
is
the
worst
case
scenario?
What
is
the
best
case
scenario?
For
the
persons
I
may
hurt?
For
myself?
For
my
family?
For
my
friends?
For
the
other
person’s
family?
For
the
other
person’s
friends?
The
family
of
the
man
who
committed
suicide
said,
he
“was
a
fine
young
man
and
a
distinguished
musician.
The
family
is
heartbroken
beyond
words.”
References
Foderaro,
Lisa
W.
(2010).
Private
moments
made
public;
Then
a
fatal
jump.
New
York
Times,
September
30,
A1,
A4.
Foderaro,
Lisa
W.
&
Winnie
Hu
(2010).
Student’s
online
musings
point
to
state
of
mind
before
a
suicide.
New
York
Times,
October
1,
A18,
A19.
Gilgun,
Jane
F.
(2010).
Fake
accountability
&
true:
Telling
the
difference.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/38241791/Fake-‐Accountability-‐True-‐Telling-‐the-‐ Difference/
Gilgun,
Jane
F.
(2010).
On
being
a
shit:
Unkind
deeds
and
cover-ups
in
everyday
life.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015XV33Y
Gilgun,
Jane
F.
(2010).
Why
they
do
it:
Beliefs
&
emotional
gratification
lead
to
violent
acts.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/30778872/Why-‐They-‐Do-‐It-‐Beliefs-‐ Emotional-‐Gratification-‐Lead-‐to-‐Violent-‐Acts
About This Publication Roots of Violence, Seeds of Change is an occasional publication for persons interested in violence prevention. In order to prevent violence, we have to understand it. Jane F. Gilgun, Ph.D., LICSW, is the editor and publisher. To submit articles to this publication, Professor Gilgun cordially invites researchers to email brief articles of three to five pages to her at jgilgun@umn.edu.
About the Author
Jane
F.
Gilgun,
Ph.D.,
LICSW,
is
a
professor,
School
of
Social
Work,
University
of
Minnesota,
Twin
Cities,
USA.
See
Professor
Gilgun’s
other
articles,
books,
&
children’s
stories
on
scribd.com,
Kindle,
and
iBooks
for
a
variety
of
mobile
devices.
She
has
done
research
on
the
meanings
of
violence
to
perpetrators
for
many
years
and
on
many
other
aspects
of
violence.