The 50th Law (with 50 Cent)

Chimpanzee, by Jared Diamond.) The great power of humans to
cooperate in these cultures was just as often used to help engage in the
bloodiest of skirmishes.
The other myth, more prevalent today, is that we may have been
violent and aggressive in the past, but that we are currently evolving
beyond this, becoming more tolerant, enlightened, and guided by our
better angels. But the signs of human aggression are just as prevalent
in our era as in the past. We can hold up as evidence the endless cycles
of war, the acts of genocide, and the increasing hostility between states
and ethnicities within states that continue well into this century. The
immense powers of technology have only enhanced our destructive
powers when it comes to war. And our depredation of the environment
has only gotten substantially worse, despite our awareness of the
problem.

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We can also take note of the growing levels of inequality in power
and wealth around the globe in recent times, approaching the
disparities that existed centuries ago. Such inequalities continue to
reproduce themselves in human society because inevitably there are
individuals who are simply more aggressive than others when it comes
to accumulating power and wealth. No rules or laws seem to stop this.
The powerful write the rules to benefit themselves. And the
monopolizing tendencies of the nineteenth century, as exemplified by
Standard Oil, signs of corporate aggression, have just reshaped
themselves to fit the newest industries.
In the past, people attended executions as a form of entertainment.
We may not go that far, but more people than ever enjoy watching
others being humiliated on reality shows or in the news, and indulging
in games and movies that delight in graphic depictions of murder and
bloodshed. (We can also see an increasingly aggressive edge to our
humor.)
With technology, it has become easier to express and satisfy our
aggressive desires. Without having to physically face people, on the
internet our arguments and criticisms can become that much more
hostile, heated, and personal. The internet has also created a new and
powerful weapon—cyberwar. As they always have, criminals simply co-
opt technology to become more creative and elusive.
Human aggression simply adapts to the newest media and
technological innovations, finding ways to express and vent itself
through them. Whatever the new invention is in one hundred years for
communication, it will likely suffer the same fate. As Gustave Flaubert
put it, “Speak of progress as much as you want. Even when you take
out the canines of a tiger, and he can only eat gruel, his heart remains
that of a carnivore.”
Human aggression in individuals and in groups tends to emerge or
heat up when we feel helpless and vulnerable, when the impatience for
control and effect rises. And as increasing numbers of people and
groups are feeling this way, we can expect more of this and not less in
the future. Wars will get dirtier. As insecurities rise, there will be more
confrontations between political groups, between cultures, between
generations, between men and women. And there will be even better
and more sophisticated ways for humans to justify their aggression to
themselves and to the world.

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The denial is stronger than ever—it is always the other person, the
other side, the other culture that is more aggressive and destructive.
We must finally come to terms with the fact that it is not the other but
ourselves, all of us, no matter the time or the culture. We must own
this fact of our nature before we can even begin to consider moving
beyond it. It is only in our awareness that we can start to think of
progress.