Enjoyment from watching others get hurt, and sociopathy

[Catholic_Lady]

When you think about the notion of taking enjoyment from watching other people get hurt, you think of a sociopath, right? You think of someone who isn't quite "normal," who doesn't have empathy and therefore isn't bothered by the pain of others... And even worse, actually likes seeing it. Thankfully, sociopaths only make up 4% of the population. Supposedly.

But I was having a conversation about it with someone the other day, and they made a good point. They pointed out that the "best parts" in watching contact sports like football, hockey, MMA, etc... are the big blows. They then said "is it really abnormal to enjoy watching others get hurt?"

This stumped me. While I personally don't take enjoymeny from watching that in sports, or even in movies where people are only getting pretend hurt, I must admit that MANY seemingly normal, non sociopathic people do. The popularity of MMA, by itself, is testimony to this... and how everyone cheers and gets excited when a football player gets a major blow, etc.
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And then I thought about the Colloseum in Ancient Rome, and how popular that was - watching people get eaten alive by animals or forced to kill each other with primitive weapons. It was fun for people. Thanks to a Netflix doc, I learned a few weeks ago that 40% of internet porn being viewed depicts violence against women. 40%! And people jerk off to that. And then I thought about the popularity of the Saw movies and how sadistic they are.
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What to make of this? I mean, if so many people enjoy watching others in pain in one form or another, is sociopathy even a thing?? How in the world is it so normal to enjoy watching other people's pain if we supposedly have empathy?
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Clearly these people cant all be sociopaths. Thoughts?

[Seraphina]

Most of what you list is what I call "guy stuff". Not to say that all "guy stuff" is sociopathic or that only guys like contact sports or violent movies. Although I suspect it's only guys who jerk off to the 40% of web porn that depicts violence against women.

Like most human behavior, sociopathy runs on a spectrum. Where things like contact sports and violent movies fall on that spectrum is up for debate, though.

-Teresa

[vorlon13]

I can assure everyone there ain't no women in my porn . . .

[J a c k]

Well, I’m a fan of MMA. If they were forced to fight, it wouldn’t be fun anymore. Since they’re in it voluntarily, I enjoy the blood baths.

[chorlton]

75% of americans see no problem with cutting off baby boys foreskins without even aesthetics

75% of british think its abhorrent.

guess what else 75% represents in each country?

[mlmooney89]

I never did get why people liked to watch people get hurt. Even the funny videos of people having epic fails I cringe and look away. I mean America's Funniest Home Videos were mostly people hurting themselves and that show was a hit. Now we have stuff like Ridiculousness which is the same thing. I can't watch it myself.

So on the other hand I'm kinda doing a 180. How violent are we talking in porn? I do like things a little rough but where does it cross into violent? Depending on where our line is depends on if I'm part of that 40%...

[Whateverist]

We're probably the most violent of the three remaining species of chimpanzee.

That said I have to wonder exactly what definition was used for "violence toward women" in obtaining that 40% figure.  From my investigations, it doesn't seem right to me.  If that included every form of coercion and S&M, then I think it is misleading.  I happen to know one woman very well whose personal fantasies run in the direction of being used widely without her consent.  She'd be the first to say that doesn't mean she would actually want anything like that to happen and I'm sure that is true.  But she does enjoy being very passive when getting hers, something I greatly prefer to past gf's whose anxiety about getting off made them desperate to get it just one way.  Of course I happen to know she dislikes porn but I doubt if she is typical in that regard.  She is from a generation less accustomed to consuming a lot of media.  So if porn is catering to fantasies people actually have, it might not be so surprising to find a high percent involving dominance/coercion.  

Like other apes we are sexually dimorphic with men being between 15 to 20 percent larger.  During our evolution we have been competing (not consciously, of course) to embody what the other sex wanted, hence breasts before child birth and the outsized penis and constant female sexual availability and female orgasm.  If the smaller sex fancies the larger, it wouldn't be surprising that psychically that might look like submission.  If the larger sex then used that submission to pleasure the smaller sex rather than simply take his own pleasure, he might be better received in the community.  All speculation but maybe some relevance?

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I can assure everyone there ain't no women in my porn . . .

You sir, are every woman's dream.

[Catholic_Lady]

So the question is, is it abnormal to enjoy watching other people get hurt? And if it's normal, then what separates these normal people from sociopathic people?

[Rev. Rye]

Most of what you list is what I call "guy stuff". Not to say that all "guy stuff" is sociopathic or that only guys like contact sports or violent movies. Although I suspect it's only guys who jerk off to the 40% of web porn that depicts violence against women.

Like most human behavior, sociopathy runs on a spectrum. Where things like contact sports and violent movies fall on that spectrum is up for debate, though.

-Teresa

My take on it is that people seem to be able to switch off their empathy for certain situations, whether it's in sports or if it's a criminal awaiting punishment. What differentiates the sociopaths from the normal people is that the sociopaths can't switch theirs back on.

Also, my personal tastes in porn tend towards the nonviolent (unless you consider women showing off their feet to be violent; I'm not into crush shit). The closest thing I can think of is women who always go barefoot walking on really rough surfaces, but then again, they're usually tough enough that it doesn't even faze them. I have healthy levels of schadenfreude, but it does not work in tandem with my sex drive, like the audience for that 40% of porn (and seriously, does spanking count as violence against women or is that stat counting the dark web shit? Or is there really that big a preponderance of Male-dominated BDSM content? Because those are the only three options that make sense at this point)

[Whateverist]

So the question is, is it abnormal to enjoy watching other people get hurt? And if it's normal, then what separates these normal people from sociopathic people?

Guess I went off on the sexual component only.  I'm a flincher when it comes to seeing other people get hurt. 

I no longer can watch concussion ball (NFL) after learning that ex-players not only have past physical injuries to contend with when they retire but brain damage that can disrupt their and their loved ones life very drastically.

I'm a big fan of martial arts in the movies and admire the discipline and skill they require, but I don't want to watch anyone getting snuffed out for real.

At car crashes, I'm the opposite of rubber-necker.  I look the other way and just want to get out of there.  I was once filling my gas tank when there was a crash and a bicycle when sailing 25 - 30 feet in the air.  The first thought was to call 911 but others did that quicker.  My wife and I really wanted to know if the rider was okay but neither of us could look in case they weren't.  (She called and found the hospital the rider was taken to and it turned out very well.)

Still we are the most violent of the there chimp species.  The Bonobos are the most saintly, I wonder if they're made even more closely in His image?