Why do people do dumb things like take drugs, join gangs, or lie?

Question

Why do people do dumb things like take drugs, join gangs, or lie?

Answer 1

i think it's a bit ignorant to immediately dismiss these things as "dumb." i don't by any means condone them, but i think we should try to understand why they have a place in peoples' lives.  people who turn to drugs are often depressed and have no guidance in life.  they need something to take away their depression or fill their emptiness.  while the decisions to do drugs is definitely not smart, people who do drugs often aren't dumb, but lost or depressed, which is a totally different thing.  people who become members of gangs are usually people who never had a real family.  by joining a gang, they get the only chance they ever had to belong to a close group and feel a sense of unity and acceptance.  once again, they're not necessarily dumb, but lost and alone.  as for lying, well, i don't think lying always has to be bad.  in contrary to the widely known saying, "honesty is the best policy," sometimes people lie for very good reasons in the right situations, like to protect someone, or to prevent a greater evil than lying.  of course it's not good to lie all the time, but you use your discretion.

Answer 2

i think they do stupid stuff to try and be cool and be accepted by peers,ya know,the guys who partied hard 20 yrs ago and by age 40 are full blown alcoholics/addicts etc its as if they have never grown up,while most of the people they hung out with in past days have moved on and grown up and out of gangs/drugs etc,they are pretty sad people,ok folks are gonna experiment,its part of growing up and life experience,but h**l,some take that stage in life too far!some people are easily influenced and think that by doing dumb stuff they will be accepted/respected/liked etc,but in reality theyre just dumb and pathetic!

Answer 3

Because we are humans. We aren't perfect and often make mistakes. However, joining gangs and taking drugs can be signs that someone is trying to find something that they don't have access to. A gang provides people with a family of sorts. Someone who grew up with  negligent parents or no parents at all would join a gang because the possibility of having close friends that are there for you sounds appealing. Drugs provide people with an escape. Most drug users have some sort of depression.

Answer 4

All kinds of reasons, Boredom, Society itself - the areas which people live in -deprived or not, To 'show something to someone Enjoyment

Despite all the concerns about illicit drug use and the attendant lifestyle by young people, it is probably still the case that the lives of most young people are centred on school, home and employment and that most drug use is restricted to the use of tobacco and alcohol. They may adopt the demeanour, fashion and slang of a particular subculture including the occasional or experimental use of illegal drugs without necessarily adopting the lifestyle.

Even so, the evidence of drug use within youth culture suggests that the experience of substances is often pleasurable rather than negative and damaging. So probably the main reason why young people take drugs is that they enjoy them.

Environment

Many young people live in communities which suffer from multiple deprivation, with high unemployment, low quality housing and where the surrounding infra-structure of local services is fractured and poorly resourced. In such communities drug supply and use often thrive as an alternative economy often controlled by powerful criminal groups. As well as any use that might be associated with the stress and boredom of living in such communities, young people with poor job prospects recognise the financial advantages and the status achievable through the business of small scale supply of drugs.

However, drug use is certainly not restricted to areas of urban deprivation. As the press stories of expulsions from private schools and drug use in rural areas show, illicit drug use is an aspect of our society from top to bottom and in all regions.

Curiosity

Most young people are naturally curious and want to experiment with different experiences. For some, drugs are a good conversation point, they are interesting to talk about and fascinate everyone.

The defence mechanism

Some young people will use drugs specifically to ease the trauma and pain of unsatisfactory relationships and the physical and emotional abuse arising from unhappy home lives. Such young people will often come to the attention of the school. If these problems can be addressed, then if drugs are involved they can become less of a problem.

Natural rebellion

Whether or not part of any particular subset of youth culture, young people like to be exclusive, own something that is personal to themselves and consciously or unconsciously drug use may act as a means of defiance to provoke adults into a reaction.

Promotion and availability

There is considerable pressure to use legal substances. Alcohol and pain-relieving drugs are regularly advertised on television. The advertising of tobacco products is now banned on television, but recent research from Strathclyde University published by the Cancer Research Campaign concluded that cigarette advertising does encourage young people to start smoking and reinforces the habit among existing smokers.

Despite legislation, children and teenagers have no problems obtaining alcohol and tobacco from any number of retail outlets. Breweries refurbish pubs with young people in mind, bringing in music, games, more sophisticated decor and so on while the general acceptance of these drugs is maintained through sports sponsorship, promotions and other marketing strategies.Obviously, the illicit market is more discreet, but those determined to experiment appear to have little trouble obtaining drugs.

Cost

Value for money is often a factor as to which drug to use. Cannabis sufficient for a few joints would cost about £5, while an LSD trip would be around £2.50. In terms of how long the effects last, this compares very favourably with an average price for a pint of lager of around £2. By the same token, ecstasy of highly variable quality is still selling for up to £7 a tablet and many drug users have been voting with their wallet and turning to cheaper drugs such as LSD.

Answer 5

Cause They're Fawking Stoopid Deekheads! :P

Answer 6

for the same reason you think they are stupid; they think they are right

Answer 7

Ahhh... you said the magic word; "dumb."  Dumb is a relative view of behavior.  The interesting thing about human behavior is that many times, what is completely insane or "dumb" to you is completely normal and acceptable for someone else.  Obviously, the majority of western society sees these things as deviant and/or criminal, while others do not. Gangs in particular become a separate reality for many people in certain areas and not belonging to a gang would be strange and "dumb" because that is their reality and the social environment they grow up in reinforces that as acceptable behavior.  Drug use is a little different, but again, why is drug use considered "dumb" while alcohol consumption is socially acceptable?  Do you see my point?  This is something I ask my students to consider when they look at other subcultures or behaviors.  Until you can understand that these people have a different reality from yours, it is very difficult to begin to study and understand why they do what they do.

Answer 8

Because people are idiots.

They join gangs for acceptance, they take drugs because they think it makes them look cool, they lie to "avoid hurting" others.

But what it boils down to is that people are idiots.

Answer 9

What else is there, the PAL?

Answer 10

a - to escape reality

b - for affiliation

c - to escape responsibility

Answer 11

Bad situations to start with lead to bad decision's, and one leads to another.  After a lifetime you look back and see, but while going through it there is no hindsight.

Why is easy from a better place, so why don't you try to make it better for those you question?

Answer 12

I really have no idea, I have done drugs just to try them. Never joined a gang because I didn't feel the need to get beat just to get accepted into a circle of "friends". I tell a white lie here and there. But not any big lies you know what I mean. I mean who doesn't lie? at least once.