This in an honest question: if we are such assholes why do we succeed so? Are we dommed to fail? What next?

Er, doomed. ;-)

Probably because we talk too much.

All I can do is speak for myself. I am a nice guy I think. I can put myself in other peoples shoes, I care about how others feel, my first impulse is rarely malicious. Yet part of me almost always wants to kill someone or somthing and smash everything in my sight, leave the building on fire and go scream at old people. I always just assume that God exists, is a blind watchmaker that hasn't influenced events since the creation of the universe and is a total fucker who's idea of joke is making us lunatics that aggress and then feel bad about it. I guess it could be hormones instead of God is a dick though.

Anyway, empathy is the only thing that saves all of humanity from my wrath.

And guns.

No, just empathy, turns out I'm made out of metal, or perhaps nutella, we're still waiting on the test results.

We hate others, particularly those we feel are not closely aligned with our own welfare, because we're wired for self-interest.

However -- humans are pretty nonviolent, as animals go. Cooperation trumps aggression in most human social contexts. Ask yourself how often you ACT on your desire to beat to death the guy buying 30 lottery tickets in front of you at the convenience store?

A man thing, like humans, or like men and not women? Since female leaders have proven themselves to be just as ruthless as men in that venue.

I don't know, animals fight all the time. Competing groups, competing species, that sort of thing. We just have the "advantage" of being able to create weapons. In a way, if we really were more like, say, gorillas, we'd be in much worse shape. Our humanity makes us fight less, if you think about it.

ThatCHEEEEEERRRRRR!!!

Why do people hate each other? Why war so consistently? Is it a man thing?

That's right, it's all the fault of that ONE DEMOGRAPHIC GROUP OVER THERE! DAMN THEM! IF WE COULD JUST *KILL* THEM ALL THERE'D BE NO PROBLEM! WHO'S WITH ME??!!

Actually it totally is a man thing. When Time Magazine asked 100 artists/celebrities/politicians how to save the world, Gabriel Garcia-Marquez said: "I think we need to turn the world over to the women. It's the one thing we haven't tried yet."

it's a big giant ugly man-thing.

seriously, tho, we'll do ourselves in before long, then nature can recover. then thigs'll be better.

Binding undies.

Chaffing.

Every time.

Divine_Wino is great with cheese and apple slices, so I say Nutella.

nutella and god don't mix

i'm not sure what war and god have to do with each other either

I think it's man as in HUman, not as in not a woman. I have seen plenty of back stabbing viscious aggression in women.

That being said scarabic has a point.

People like to hate other people, and it's fun for powerful people to send the weak off to die.

By "people" I mean "men and women."