[patsylimerick]

Originally Posted by MTVN

Personally I dont think people are born good or bad no. I tend to believe that nurture is stronger than nature and it is peoples experiences which shape their lives and the way they act. Take the case you mentioned of the girl just been found guilty of the homophobic killing; she had had a series of traumas in her life with her father being abusive and him being sentenced for manslaughter for stabbing a man when she was younger. Does it justify it? Of course not, and obviously she isnt the only one who has had a hard life but people cope in different ways and some are better at it than others and she resorted to alcohol.

I'd also say that noone is completely "good" or completely "bad". They're just words really, and peoples perception of what is wrong and what is right, what is moral and immoral, is all relative and subjective.

However, some people are born psychopaths. That's a known criminal and medical fact. They have no empathy and are devoid of fellow feeling. Now I'm not saying either the 11 year old boy or the 17 year old girl fall into that category - I don't know - but there are definitely people who are wired differently to the rest of us and act accordingly. Sadly, there are far too many well documented cases of people who are absolutely and completely 'bad' if that's what you want to call it. It's reassuring to think that there aren't - but there are. Ask anyone who works with the criminally insane.