“WaddleDee” finally produced an explanation of sorts.
Ophelia Benson @OpheliaBenson
@chsvns But my question is WHY is it fun.
WaddleDee @chsvns
@OpheliaBenson Because it is a deviant act that I can get away with.
Ok let’s think about that. A deviant act – how is it a deviant act, and why?
Telling people they’re ugly (fat, old, disgusting, etc) is reprobated because it’s seen as cruel. It’s rightly seen as cruel. Isn’t it? Is that at all controversial? If it’s not controversial, should it be controversial? Is it the kind of callous, brutal, indifferent “seen as” that other brands of conventional wisdom have been shown to be? Should we question that view just as we question racism or homophobia or sexism? Should we start a new social justice movement to liberate everyone from antiquated and mistaken taboos on telling people they’re ugly? Would that lead to a more just, verdant, and peaceful world?
No. It’s conventional wisdom that it’s very bad (and “deviant”) to tell people they’re ugly, for good reasons.
So the explanation tells us that it’s fun to violate that taboo if you can get away with it. But that still doesn’t answer the underlying question.