Infected Mushroom wrote:Caracasus wrote:I heard her parents got her a tub of Neoplitan from Tescos but ate the chocolate one first.
Which, you know, makes the genocide a tad more understandable.
This sounds like psychological abuse
It’s the parents saying “we’re in control. When we give you a treat, it’s on our terms. You like the chocolates? Too bad.”
Okay IM, forgetting the hypothetical here for a bit and actually putting it into serious mode because that's actually a valid point you've made.
I'd agree that in some circumstances what I just described could certainly fit an abusive relationship between parents and children. Food is a very basic human need as is enjoyment of food, and manipulative/abusive parents certainly do tend towards strict control of food for their children not due to health concerns but because they wish to exert control for the sake of exerting control. The example I gave off the top of my head certainly would fit within a pattern of abusive behaviour as would an emotionally manipulative relationship based on withholding attention/affection for real or imagined slights etc.
I'd also add that wealth is no compensation for not having abusive parents. It's entirely possible for wealthy parents to be abusive and the relative wealth of the individual isn't really a factor here. Abuse is abuse, and having a lot of money really doesn't compensate for that.
Now back to the hypothetical. Abusive childhoods don't excuse genocide. I can guarantee that in these hypotheticals you're probably talking to people who did have abusive childhoods - so attempting to justify witch hitler's actions on "she had a shit childhood" might come off as insulting.