What is evil?

I hadn't planned on writing this. It's such a random question, but it comes from some deep yearning to understand, sparked by an incident that happened to me a few weeks ago.

So as a side gig (which is more of a main gig at the moment) I do uber eats and door dash deliveries. I've done hundreds of them. I'd never had a problem. It is the easiest thing I've ever done, boring, mundane... the furthest thing from confronting evil you could imagine.

Now, I don't think what happened to me one day doing deliveries was evil, but it may be related, and for some reason I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Basically I was dropping off some food. This is one of those situations that seems completely normal at first... you barely think about the car that pulled into the driveway across the street just as you were pulling up. Happens quite often. Until the big dog gets out.... it was a woman and her young son, and their big dog which ran out of the car and came after me.

Now I've never been chased by a dog. But my brother has. When were kids (me a little older), I was walking him home from school and a big dog came around. He ran and the dog chased him. He was lucky his hat flew off and the the dog became more interested in that. But it always stuck with me because I felt powerless.

And suddenly I was in the same situation that day doing deliveries. I ran around the car in the driveway of the house I was delivering to as the big dog came after me. All the while I could see this lady.... just... doing nothing. She could see what was going on, but she just went about her business, getting stuff out of the car as her son stood by looking guilty as he didn't seem to be in a position to do much about it. I made it back to my car and slammed the door. The dog went back across the street, and I assumed the mother now had control of the situation, so I got back out and went to drop the food off.

And the f'ing thing came after me again... like a bad Twilight Zone episode. In the middle of panicked footwork and breath, I couldn't believe what was happening. Surely this woman understood the peril I was in.... I didn't know if the dog was all bark and no bite and just like chasing people for fun, or if it wanted me as a chew toy. Either way, it didn't matter... I wasn't going to find out. I nearly tripped and fell, but the food did, and was ruined. I ran back to the car again, shut the door and sat there incredulous. I looked over at the lady, rolled the window down and asked her to control he dog. She basically ignored me, as if I didn't exist. The kid looked embarrassed. The dog just acted like a dog and went back across the street again and eventually they all went inside.

Between all the adrenaline and panic, I felt humiliated. Stumbling around like an idiot, tripping and falling, while this lady just passively went about her business, ignoring the stranger clearly in peril... I don't think I'd ever experienced a more shocking moment of pure apathy in an individual. I'm someone who generally wears his heart on his sleeve, don't like stepping on bugs, can't bear to see people suffer. I guess I have a conscience? But this woman was just.... there was a blank, almost spiteful level of abject ignorance about her that disturbed me more than nearly being torn apart by a giant dog. Again, maybe it was actually playful, but you never know, and this woman certainly never bothered to assuage my fear. And like the day my brother almost got mauled, I felt powerless. It's a horrible feeling.

I was so angry I wanted to vandalize her car. But first I had to let the poor customer know their food was now ruined because she has a shitty neighbor. I felt bad. But more than that I felt enraged. All I could do was throw some balled up trash on her lawn and speed off in shock.

This is one of those incidents that just would not go away in the following weeks. I couldn't shake the bafflement of another human being showing virtually zero concern for someone else. She could've called out to the dog and apologized, like a normal person. It's the most obvious thing in the world. No harm no foul. I would've been shaken, but easily forgotten it. But she just did... nothing. Nothing. No reaction. No communication. No concern. Maybe she knew the dog was just messing around, but couldn't she see how f'ing terrified I was? Why didn't she say something? ANYTHING??? It's the kind of mystery that keeps swimming around in your head.

Tonight I thought about this incident again, and then started thinking about evil for some reason. I don't think what she did was evil, but I realized it was maybe the gateway from which evil is allowed to enter. Sheer apathy... maybe worse... because it was her animal and she was responsible for whatever would've happened to me if it wasn't friendly. It wasn't passive, it was active ignorance. WHY DIDN'T SHE DO SOMETHING??? I can't get it out of my head. Is this how evil is allowed free reign? Passivity from others? Apathy? Willful ignorance?

I don't know why I wrote this... feel free to ignore it, or not, and maybe share something? I don't know. I just feel this weird, dense, awful sadness in the pit of my stomach over how this world seems to operate and thrive on ignorance, apathy, passivity, horrific levels of destruction because people just don't give a f**k.

 

There's no shortage of screwed up people. The best you can do is to not become that person in the future, and to move on.

 

Apathy, which is in the same league as malintent in my book. I don't know what to say, except that this world needs less apathy to the wrongs and malintents. Is she evil? yes, if she purposely let the dog go at you. Even without intention to let loose that dog, her apathy is a sin against being human.

 

As much as I love dogs, kick the f**k out of that dog. If it's coming at you and it's you or the dog, the dog matters less than your life. And its owner needs to learn how to control it. I love my dogs and if they ever attacked a human, I get it. The human gets to defend themselves.

f**k that lady, especially for the lack of training on her part. I'm super sorry you had to experience that. No one should.

 

BTW, hope you're alright now.

I think it's wise to not dwell too much about it and just move on, as @Arun Kumar says. I think you're shocked that another person is capable (or incapable) of certain things. Do what's in your control, and the easiest is to not be that person and do what you can to make this world better.

 

Not sure if that helps you, but if I imagine the situation correctly, my guess is that that lady must have been in a bad state herself. What comes to my mind is either a state of utter shock about something she just learned, or, more likely, depression.

If getting out to buy groceries was the maximum she could manage, she might just have been completely overwhelmed by the situation, unable to react in any way. I’d guess that if there was any kind of malintent involved, including just purposefully ignoring the state her dog put that stranger in, she would have looked at you at least now and then, which at least in my imagination from your description didn’t happen.

This post is not meant to excuse the lady’s behaviour, which is completely shitty no matter what the reason for it was in the end. It just seemed to me that your main “problem” is to wrap your head around how this could happen at all and I wanted to provide a possible explanation.

I know how depression feels and what states of mind it can produce—such a situation could easily happen. In this case, the lady would probably have tried to avoid your gaze and have acted as if she didn’t even realise you were there.

 

We can offer explanations on this all day, but since you're searching for answers, I'll throw out a few.

On the apologists side:
A) She genuinely believed the dog would not harm anyone
B) She has been a victim of some kind, maybe robbery or assault, and appreciated the dog was aggressive to strangers
C) She suffers from depression or a mental illness where she was unable to process what was happening
D) The woman was actually not the owner and wasn't trained to handle the dog
E) The woman misread the danger of the situation and thought the dog was playing
F) They thought you were someone else

Or on the "she's evil" side:
G) It was an overt act of classism, racism, or sexism against you prejudicially
H) It was not against you personally but they sadistically enjoy scaring or hurting others
I) They specifically hate delivery drivers for unknown reasons
J) They are truly a psychopath who knows their actions are wrong but feel no guilt
K) They aren't a psychopath but have an elitist attitude and are often negligent as they believe nothing can touch them
L) They are overly protective of their children and were fine with the dog attacking anyone near the boy

 

I don't think that it comes under "evil." I don't think that much actually does, but your comment is interesting

I do think it is bloody disgusting behaviour.

Quite likely. I think that @ColtMrFire is black? In my visualisation of this event, the woman is white. But hey, this could be just my racial/gender stereotyping kicking in. But it just sounds so Karen. Again, bloody disgusting behaviour.

Whatever, it's shocking experience. I recall a large dog hurling itself at me as I walked down a quiet high street one night. In the split second it took me to understand that there was a shop window between me and it I was truly terrified.

PS... Life and the internet is a funny thing. I'm reading and responding to this. Next I'll click over to pictures of your pet and then on to a speakers thread...

 

I feel bad that this incident occurred, but you are also fortunate Evil Dog Lady, or her hubby didn't see the trash being thrown onto their property, come out with a firearm, and/or chase you in your vehicle, and you would be in another high speed pursuit putting the public in danger.

 

I'm sorry this happened to you. It must have been terrifying. What happened was unequivocally wrong: it goes without saying that the woman was responsible for the dog's behavior and had a duty of care to others to control it. I'd have been inclined to call animal control, although it seems you have to be injured before a dog gets labelled "dangerous": https://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Animal_Services/dangerdog_legalinfo_0410.pdf

It's shocking when you run into people who are so uncaring or insensible. I remember encountering a surprisingly rude guy recently, when out with a friend. My friend commented that he was clearly medicated. I'd not thought of it but have since wondered how many people are medicated into obliviousness. And while I'm skeptical about claims that the world's gone to shit, either people are more selfish/inconsiderate these days or I'm more sensitive to it, and some places and cultures are worse for it than others. I'm originally from England, where someone once wryly - and perhaps accurately - remarked that people were so polite because they'd otherwise be at each others' throats. Its troubling to think about encountering someone whose cluelessness might actually be downright malice. It makes sense the unsettling experience has stayed with you.

You were lucky not to be hurt. Although she clearly wouldn't have realized it, she was lucky you weren't hurt, as she might have found herself on the wrong end of a lawsuit. It's telling that her child, amazingly, got it - in spite of his mother.

(One last thought, prompted by @JK47's post - the dog was also lucky it didn't go for someone carrying a gun).

 

Brah you are in TX. Next time buy a gun to protect yourself and you don't need permission to get a handgun. Or maybe get out of Austin since I heard it is becoming too much of a shithole.

 

She knew I was there. She looked at what was happening several times. That's the entire point of my rant. She was completely aware of it.

 

No, she was black.

 

I think this is close to home, at least IMO. In order for there to be evil, there has to be a disconnect to the fundamental humanness we all share...lack of empathy or what have you. Evil is likely where that apathy turns into pleasure at seeing others misfortune or suffering. That was indeed a shitty experience, but it's impossible to determine if it's indicative of evil from one experience... regardless, it sucks you went through it.

 

Two points to offer:
- toughen up! Become more resilient. Sign up to boxing or muai thai. Dog likes to attack anyone who is afraid.
- What you saw as apathy might have been plain ignorance. Some people say "ignorance is bliss" - the starting point of many bad things, why not eventual evil.

 

This is weird to say the least. Some people shouldn't have dogs if they can't control them or they are risk to the public. General ignorance seems to be at an all time high though IMO. I'm closer to 50 than 40 now.. getting older. I try to be super passive in public (or even outside my own property while being attacked by a big killer dog I guess lol) and let everyone have their way. It's no big thing for me, everyone wants to go first today and be in a rush, cut you off in traffic. Flip you off cuz you let a couple with kids get in front of you and slowed down and inconvenienced them. I don't retaliate and I personally wouldn't throw trash on someones lawn these days.

In my 20s and 30s it was on though ! I've beaten and kicked attacking dogs in the past. Once had a neighbor who's dog would shit all over the place. You'd be surprised how far you can fling dog shit with some practice and an appropriate shovel.

 

Okay, let me get right on that.

In all seriousness, I'm one of the toughest most resilient people I know (jail and homelessness will do that). Are you saying to avoid dog attacks one needs to not be afraid? Fear is designed to help you to survive dangerous situations (adrenaline). Are you saying kick boxing and mua tai have dog neutralization techniques?

 

It's almost as if anger makes people do things they otherwise normally wouldn't.

 

Damn dude, I'm glad you didn't get bit or worse. This is not "OK" behavior from a responsible dog owner standpoint. I've had my run-ins with other owners who could care less and dogs aren't trained correctly. Do what I did and get yourself pepper spray made for dogs. I've had to use it last month to get a big dog that was running up to my dogs to turn away. Well, not so much turn away, more like a lot of sneezing, choking, and whimpering. The worse was having to deal with the owner who was running after him. Some people have no sense of awareness of what other people are going through and are ignorant to the extent that it makes it seem malicious.

 

Buy a gun for self protection