• GraniteM@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Pollster: Have you ever thought about shooting someone?

    Me: Well even if I never had before, now that you’ve asked the question and put the idea in my head, I have, so thanks for that!

    Pollster: Follow-up question: Have you ever thought of a pink elephant?

    • psivchaz@reddthat.com
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      2 days ago

      Maybe they asked like, “SERIOUSLY thought about shooting someone” or perhaps “thought about shooting someone at a time that you actually had the means to do it” or even “made mental plans to shoot someone.”

      Or maybe I’m more of a psychopath than I thought I was. Like I don’t actually want to hurt anyone, and I don’t even own a gun, but the number of times it crossed my mind…

      • Kairos@lemmy.today
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        1 day ago

        I think the headline flattened the question. Most people have thought about it happening, I’d wager, but less thought about doing it.

      • architect@thelemmy.club
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        2 days ago

        People answer surveys as their ideal self not honestly. So yea most people, considering the constant virtue signaling about how non violent they are (lol to be proud of non violence while a pedophile rules you is a definitely a moral choice), are going to answer these surveys saying they are non violent.

        They are the most violent among us and they always have justification.

    • MalReynolds@slrpnk.net
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      3 days ago

      Yep, what a load of bollocks, the only thing this study is useful for is why would you do this.

  • joeljoelle@piefed.world
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    3 days ago

    I’ve thought about all sorts of horrible things I’d never even contemplate actually doing. I’m sure I’m not alone.

    • BartyDeCanter@piefed.social
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      3 days ago

      Absolutely, there’s a huge difference between thinking about doing something and then letting the thought go compared to doing anything on the path to actually doing it.

    • Sundray@lemmus.org
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      3 days ago

      I often used to have intrusive violent or sexual thoughts about strangers I’d see out in the world. They were unwanted and I found them horrifying, and of course would never do anything like that to anyone. Medication eventually helped.

      • joeljoelle@piefed.world
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        3 days ago

        That sounds a bit scary, glad you found some relief. Yeah the key thing is self control and of course recognizing they are bad in the first place. Mine are fairly random, like my brain just likes to remind me what horrors the human mind is capable of for some reason.

      • Jax@sh.itjust.works
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        3 days ago

        Mm, you can fixate on killing someone without using a gun.

        You could use a knife, a rope, poison, there are any number of things you can use to kill someone.

        Maybe that 93% just very specifically envisions harming others without guns!

        Lol no, many of them are lying.

        • BigDanishGuy@sh.itjust.works
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          3 days ago

          Woodchipper, car bomb, garbage compactor, fire, a single large rock, multiple smaller rocks, open windows, closed windows and some force… The list goes on and on

          Update:

          • drum of boiling water
          • large cat exhibit at the zoo
          • thrown from a highway bridge
          • snake pit
          • drowning in a cesspool
          • explosive butt plug
          • fire ant
          • flying with Tom Hanks in a movie

          A bit exotic perhaps, but strapped to a rocket and hurled at a building.

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Yeah it all depends on the wording and how honest they are. Sometimes I’m frustrated enough to get all sorts of dark thought to inflict on them. But I have impulse control.

      One of the reasons we need better gun control is too many people don’t. Or maybe too many people live in fear enough to escalate to deadly violence

  • Siethron@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    If I ever get mad enough at someone to picture killing them it’s usually a blunt force weapon, so I get the low value on shooting here.

  • mavu@discuss.tchncs.de
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    3 days ago

    I don’t know how you could be older than 12 and not wanted to shoot someone ever.

    • realitista@lemmus.org
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      2 days ago

      I can honestly say I’ve never wanted to shoot, stab, or otherwise greviously injure someone. I’ve gotten into some fistfights when emotions have gotten out of hand, but this is maybe why its important that everyone is not running around with a way to blast holes in people.

  • sol6_vi@lemmy.makearmy.io
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    2 days ago

    Do we want to arm the proletariat or ban all guns? Its so hard to tell where Lemmy is at on guns sometimes.