Presence of evil

[beachcitygirl]

Aibu to ask if you've ever felt yourself in the presence of evil. Following on from
The intuitiion thread.

I once met a friend of my ex in a coffee shop. The man was nothing but civil & friendly. Soft spoken & was an ex police officer. My then husband was there also.
I went to the loo & spent ages as something about him made me feel afraid. I stress it was just a feeling. Zero untoward behaviour.
Many years later he was arrested & found guilty of violent rape.

Has anyone else ever sensed evil? (For want of a better word)

@Kanfuzed123

Ps I used to think of certain people like the boys in the bulger case as evil but I went to a seminar by a scholar who wrote extensively on mass murderers and she took objection to the term evil and also to that children are inherently good and innocent

I had a conversation with a senior child psychiatrist about the Bulger case and she told me that, in her experience, child perpetrators of such a heinous crime would have also been the victims of serious and long-term abuse themselves (physical, emotional and probably sexual because of some of the aspects of this crime). She made it clear that she was not involved at all in their case, but was inferring. She said she had never come across a case where there wasn't such a link. These boys were, most likely, wharped by upbringing.

So I understand the objection of evil.

You could believe a person to be angelic (adjective) without believing they’re really an angel (noun). The noun and adjective form of “evil” is the same.

[quote AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken]@Kanfuzed123

The adjective “evil” doesn’t have supernatural meaning.
You just infer supernatural meaning because the noun “evil” can have supernatural meaning.[/quote]
It means profoundly wicked or immoral, especially when characterised in relation to the supernatural or an influence of devil.

You can ignore the religious/supernatural implications of the word if you want but it does have them. Just look at this thread with the nonsense about evil eyed babies and sending evil off people etc. If you want to pretend the word isn’t steeped in superstition then do so but it is.

I’m not ignoring them. I’m saying they’re inferred not implied. It’s perfectly possible to discuss evil acts without considering the supernatural to be involved at all.

Then they’re just criminal acts. You can’t sense evil in a person/see it in a baby’s eyes/somehow ‘sense’ that someone is inherently evil because evil doesn’t exist in that form.

MaryAndGerryLivingInDerry . Evil most certainly does exist. 'Evil is who evil does' . How can you recognise it if you think it does not exist? Satan is the ruler of this world, which is why we have faiths to keep us from evil. Some of us are lucky enough to have had experience and instinct in our genes to recognise it. People who do not believe in evil will not be able to protect themselves.
There is the possibility in everyone. ''If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."

Those who say that evil does not exist are so completely wrong.

@Kanaloa

Then they’re just criminal acts. You can’t sense evil in a person/see it in a baby’s eyes/somehow ‘sense’ that someone is inherently evil because evil doesn’t exist in that form.

Why not? It’s an adjective . You can sense other adjectives: sincere, friendly, unfriendly, cold, from their facial expressions etc. Why would it not be possible to sense someone might be evil in the same way?

Sorry 'evil' as a tangible knowing thing and Satan are just hogwash IMO. Humanity is responsible for its own actions. And cruelty is a very human trait. And the various Faiths aren't and, historically haven't, done a very good job of keeping us from evil

existential / anthropomorphic / synthetic / economic are also adjectives, but you wouldn't use them to describe a human being. It depends upon your interpretation of 'evil', if you think it means immoral and/or cruel, then OK. although why not just say that instead?. I don't interpret it in that way

I don't interpret it in that way
That’s fine. Other people do. That’s also fine.

@Frankieboyle

yes, West Sussex, now mid 70s. I met him 3 times. I was young, with my boss at 2x lunch, 1x dinner meetings. Told boss to 'keep away from that man' but he didn't listen. This was mid 80s & I was there for decoration not opinions. (boss himself had MH probs I later discovered). But I remember the 3rd meeting especially. 'Mrs West sussex' who came along (it was 3 diff girls for each meeting, all with poor English, all looked slightly scared). But the last one followed me to the loos & said 'tell your man to keep away from my man, he is bad - he cuts everyone. In time he will cut you too'. It was a clear warning to me.

You don’t have to explain yourself about your choice of words and what you believe and feel
Personally I see good in the world so there has to be an opposing force to that .. it’s just how it is ! ( to me anyway ! ) And I would define some people as possessing that which I would I call evil … I have only personally come across one or two in my own life that have made my hackles go up and have been proven right on both occasions .. and you’re right .. it’s the eyes .. it’s always been the eyes …..

@AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken

I don't interpret it in that way
That’s fine. Other people do. That’s also fine

That's pretty much my point

When we were younger my dad had a friend who would always make me and my sisters sit on his lap when he would visit. When he would come over we would go and hide in our bedroom so we didn't have to get forced by my dad to sit on his lap.
My mum also didn't like him either, she didn't drive so he would offer to pick us up and drop us off to school which she would refuse.
My dad lost touch with him after moving countries but when we went back for a holiday, he tried to grt in contact with him and his other friends wouldn't tell him what happened to him.
A year later my dad just happened to come across a news article online about this man who was a childrens social worker in the 80s and 90s, he would offer the girls weed or cigarettes or alcohol for sex. He told my dad a fake name too so we didn't even know his real first name. He was sentenced to almost 15 years in jail which he's currently serving and trying to appeal at times.
We told my parents about what we thought of him as a child and my dad heavily regretted not listening to us.

Not myself but my gran, its always something I think of, especially when reading through this thread (didn't want to add it initially cos it wasn't mine)
She used to spend a lot of time in her local pub, she made friends like everyone else. There was one man, she said who was always nice, always pleasant.
She had always felt he was pretty trustworthy, as had all the other women she knew who frequented the pub.
One particular night, he was insistent that he would walk her home, she said that she had alarm bells going off in her mind. That night she ordered a taxi from the pub- first time ever as she lived about 3 minutes walk home, but it was down an alleyway. She couldn't understand why she had that reaction, considering she had always liked this man.

That night one of the young barstaff took him up on the offer of being walked home, and he raped and killed her.

Nan said she hadn't had much luck in her life, but the good fortune to avoid being alone with him that night was more than enough for her.

The people I've bad feelings about though have never come to anything yet though so they just gave me the creeps.

When I was a teenager we had a neighbour who used to watch me over the fence 2 doors down when I was on the trampoline. When I walked down the street with my mum I said I didn't like him and he creeper me out, she didn't see it though.

There's a guy in my community must be in his 60s. Never spoke to him but there's something about him that's off. He's integrated himself into the community. But i can't put my finger on why he creeps me out.

There was a guy at the local shops. He walked past me as I walked in the shop instantly felt he was off. Went to walk home and he had stopped in the street waiting while I was in the shop. I turned around back to the shop and he then turned back and followed me. I went in the shop and told the workers in there and called my mum to come collect me.

@Croissantly

This is an interesting thread aside from those who weirdly feel like they need to do a deep dive into whether evil exists and in what form, lighten up ffs.

I can't even link or post a picture, but if you Google 'the man everyone has dreamt about' it actually evokes a physical reaction in me and no idea why.

That man looks like Andrew Lloyd Webber!

I find this topic really interesting, I hadn't given it a lot of thought before now. Fortunately I have never encountered anyone who made me feel that way and later turned out to be dangerous.

My two penneth worth is that we all have a choice as to what actions we take and what paths we follow in life. Every human is capable of both good and bad actions, or evil if you will. No-one is 100% either good or evil. Some, for whatever reasons, whether influenced by their upbringing, genes or environment, end up choosing more and more the 'dark path' or bad actions. It's always their choice, because we know of others who've had equally bad starts in life who've gone in the other direction. However at any time a person can choose an alternative action instead and reverse their course. We do have free will.

I also believe that humans have evolved, like other animals, to be able to sense when something is 'off' in their environment so they can act in self-preservation. Some of us are better than others at picking up those subtle clues. So yes, those people can pick up bad intentions coming from others, probably from micro-expressions or very subtle nuances. Children may be better at doing this than adults - their brain doesn't kick in saying 'don't be silly!' or ignoring the warning signs.

Does 'Evil' exist as a separate entity? I don't know. If it does, then Good must also exist that way. Humanity can make choices, is what I do know, and sometimes those are very terrible choices.

@MaryAndGerryLivingInDerry

You are wrong. Evil most certainly does exist. Just ask Women's Aid.

As a victim of DV I can assure you that it is all human force that abuses women.

It depends if you are saying evil is an external force that controls people. Evil does exist and some people are intrinsically evil, this is about them, their choices and their behaviour and mot an external force controlling them.

@Mothership4two

existential / anthropomorphic / synthetic / economic are also adjectives, but you wouldn't use them to describe a human being. It depends upon your interpretation of 'evil', if you think it means immoral and/or cruel, then OK. although why not just say that instead?. I don't interpret it in that way

Immoral and cruel are also subjective. I think cheating on a partner is immoral, others think it is okay or acceptable under certain circumstances.

Place mark

Kind of.

I was 16, hitchhiking with 2 friends & we got a lift from a guy. He was weird in ways I couldn’t really quantify: my main feeling at the time was embarrassment because he kept talking, talking, talking and I couldn’t really understand his accent.

My friends were a bit more fly: one of them pretended she was going to puke & we piled out.

He tried to persuade me to get back in: I’m glad social embarrassment was not so compelling & I declined.

Anyway: it was Fred West, as I found out decades later.

I was 22 years old and in between jobs and couldn’t get anything suitable. Found a job through an agency and got interviewed by a young lady who tuned out to be 28 she said. Job was cold calling for a tax accounting software firm and I accepted the offer. Turned up at said job and all the cold callers were young, attractive girls. All the guys were older in their 40s/50s. I thought this was odd. Company was a private company owned by one guy also in his 40s with a daughter at uni. Got invited to the Xmas party as I was an employee and the MD/owner hugged me a little to tightly. Handed in my notice to the agency immediately afterwards (was still in probation period) as something didn’t sit right with me. I was very apologetic to agency as I’m not usually a quitter but self preservation made me quit.

@Sazzasez

Kind of.

I was 16, hitchhiking with 2 friends & we got a lift from a guy. He was weird in ways I couldn’t really quantify: my main feeling at the time was embarrassment because he kept talking, talking, talking and I couldn’t really understand his accent.

My friends were a bit more fly: one of them pretended she was going to puke & we piled out.

He tried to persuade me to get back in: I’m glad social embarrassment was not so compelling & I declined.

Anyway: it was Fred West, as I found out decades later.

I’ve seen quite a few of these threads and Fred West must have met more people than the queen, because he seems to have targeted every single woman in the uk and all of them felt something ‘off’ about him and recognised him immediately decades later.

One wonders how he had the time considering everything else he was doing.