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Post by melody7song on May 19, 2016 21:01:18 GMT
I found the articles this week extremely interesting, especially since I've grown up virtually my entire life playing sports. I consider the way I play soccer more aggressive than most (since that's the easiest way someone smaller like me can get the ball) and since I'm a little harmless looking Asian girl, the referees usually let it go. Through the years I've played, I've seen that sports can get really ugly -- I've been kicked, elbowed, and tripped countless times, often by girls who I consider my closest friends off of the field. You can see in this video how dirty it gets -- ponytails are pulled, girls are punched in the back, and someone even grabs someone else's crotch... www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E1fMx7jgxQAnd this is all because of a game where 22 players run around a field trying to kick a ball into a net, playing against girls who in many circumstances are their best friends. Where does the anger and aggressiveness inside of us come out--where mild, law-abiding citizens suddenly are able to viciously attack the opposing team...simply because they're the opposing team? They may have the same beliefs and values but as soon as they step onto the field, they become mortal enemies. I think this speaks volumes about our natural instincts and what we humans are capable of doing. I remember reading somewhere (I forget if it was in a history book or what we learned in a previous quarter of Mind over Matter oops), that the most stable communities are ones that are in some sort of mild conflict with another community, otherwise the citizens begin to turn on each other. For example, a town is more unified when it rallies together against a rival town. UCLA is more unified when we rally against USC. So my question is, do you think that humans are naturally aggressive, and that we can't survive without turning on each other unless there's some sort of external conflict? |
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Post by eddiegonz on May 19, 2016 21:13:30 GMT
I think sports a good way of giving people that would normally be seen as inferior a chance. Like you said with your "short" comparison. Normally, you wouldnt be able to do some things that tall people could do, like touch the ceiling of a relatively small room or get a good view of a concert band when everyone is standing up, but as you said soccer is a way in which someone your stature could excel because in that case when you're smaller, its a benefit. And it may be that people may play more aggressively because that is their outlet for anger. While they cant just go beat up some people or go rob a bank, these sports let us put in all our efforts and any anger that we may have been holding in and using it as a source of motivation.
To answer your question, I think there are different levels of aggression that correlate with our competitive nature. Since we have that natural instinct of survival and competitive spirit, we have that drive to make our ego bigger and prove to the world that we're worthy of living and reproducing. When you view it that way, many people would consider those that excel in sports as an attractive trait as it shows our potential power to be successful. Is it possible that aggression is link with our drive to show our superiority and get people to like and respect us and is there an alternative to this?
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Post by stacyli on May 19, 2016 21:19:10 GMT
I think humans have a naturally competitive edge to them. It's a survival instinct to try to do whatever we can to benefit ourselves even if that means hurting other people in some way or the other and without competition (economic, social, survival competition...etc) a lot of things would die out//we would cease to be socially productive. I'm not even sure if there necessarily has to be an existing conflict for humans to feel the need to be aggressive, but either way we always seem to create the conflict itself if it doesn't already exist lol
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Post by elipshutz on May 19, 2016 22:08:11 GMT
I think humans are naturally aggressive to some extent. It used to help us since humans had to be aggressive for survival. It was a way to get food, protect, and just ensure that your family genes would get passed down. Now a days though, humans do not need that skill as much. We do not hunt for food and most of our basic human needs can be satisfied through simple means. That being said, humans still have the trait today.
In todays society, people are more aggressive because of their environments. For example there is a lot more violence on T.V. or through video games. That causes humans to be less sensitive due to over stimulation. Also studies have shown that aggression increases with high temperatures and with use of substance such as alcohol. Also testosterone is linked to aggression. In this way men tend to be more aggressive, or people taking steroids which puts testosterone in the body. Although we are not out hunting like the old days, aggression is still reinforced and common.
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Post by melody7song on May 23, 2016 1:37:21 GMT
eddiegonz I definitely agree with you, and LOL at your "touch the ceiling of a relatively small room" example. Sports is a great, non-violent and healthy outlet for a lot of things including stress, anger, frustration etc, and I've had a lot of times where just going out on the field and playing makes me feel a lot better. You also pose an interesting question. I think for some people aggression is very closely linked to show their superiority, but for others its' not--I believe it definitely depends and varies from person to person. stacyli I can see your point that we all are somewhat innately competitive. Perhaps it is the Darwinistic drive inside of all of us that seeks conflict or to even create conflict even where there doesn't need to be. elipshutz The idea of violence on TV or video games being another outlet could be an answer to eddiegonz's question of whether there is another alternative to sports to express our inner aggression. I also definitely agree with you that aggression is very evolutionary
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dalia
New Member
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Post by dalia on May 24, 2016 4:55:20 GMT
I think what your question is asking essentially goes back to the long-lasting debate about human nature. Are we innately good or evil? Evil is a general term here, but I think of it is as the natural drive for aggression, competitiveness, and domination which you mentioned.
The novel Lord of the Flies is a great example of this debate as it argues how these innate characteristics are present in all of us. In a regular social setting, civilization oppresses or masks these qualities. However, when removed to an isolated setting where society's laws are inconsequential, such as the island on which the stranded group of boys land (the setting of the novel), these instincts manifest themselves. In the novel this is seen by the barbaric state to which the refined british school boys descend into, resulting in them fighting and even killing each other.
So to answer your question, I don't think there essentially needs to be an external conflict as it is just a means to express this suppressed need for aggression that is usually inhibited or masked because of societal norms by directing it against a foreign enemy. That being said, sports is just another version of that; perhaps a healthier one.
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Post by petekk on May 29, 2016 8:33:57 GMT
If you refer to competitive aggressiveness and not pure violence, yes! I think humans are naturally prone to competing with each other and creating conflicts. I realized the same thing about myself that as a tiny person I'm more aggressive while playing sports. I still haven't figured if it's because i feel more confident while playing sports or because I feel the need to be superior.
On another note, I think most countries or governments employ this strategy: making a nation stick together by creating conflict with another group. I actually think that this became very especially when nation states were beginning to form. The idea of a common threat keep people together and help avoid any internal conflicts which evolutionarily makes sense since you need cooperation for the group members to protect yourself.
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