History Main / HumansAreBastards

->''"... No matter how much you change the rules, no matter how much you refuse to admit defeat, in the end, the creatures known as "people" [[InYourNatureToDestroyYourselves will always sign their own death warrant]] by acting out of stupidity and evil. And then... mankind will be gone for good."''

->''"... No matter how much you change the rules, no matter how much you refuse to admit defeat, in the end, the creatures known as "people" will always sign their own death warrant by acting out of stupidity and evil. And then... mankind will be gone for good."''

In essence HumansAreBastards is the reverse of RousseauWasRight — the natural proclivity of humanity is towards [[ItsAllAboutMe selfishness]], [[BystanderSyndrome apathy]] and violence. Only a select few people manage to rise above their base nature to become something better, but the kernel of darkness is still inborn. When HumansAreBastards is in effect, even your "heroes" don't have clean hands, so most conflict is [[BlackAndGrayMorality gray against black]], with some [[GrayAndGrayMorality gray against gray]] or [[EvilVersusEvil black against black]] on for variety.

* The ''Franchise/DeadSpace'' games do this ''all the freaking time''. In a setting where the Universe is dark and cold and deserted, and the only [[AbsentAliens alien life]] we've found are horrifically reanimated dead bodies trying to kill everyone, human beings still manage to hold the title of "[[HumansAreBastards biggest assholes in the Galaxy]]". ''Not one game'' goes by without some douchebag betraying you, fanatically worshiping the Necromorphs and Markers, trying to brutally suppress something or other by killing many innocent people, or all of the above.

* For such a [[VideoGame/{{MOTHER}} lighthearted]] [[RousseauWasRight series]], ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' drives this point home when you least expect it. Really, even if the BigBad is [[{{Jerkass}} loathsome]], [[DirtyCoward despicable]], and [[OmnicidalManiac a sick monster in every way, shape and form]], you can't help but agree with him just a little bit when he delivers his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. In a nutshell, the [[spoiler: Tazmily Villagers erased their memories for a more Utopian society to prevent another Apocalypse from happening that nearly wiped out all the humans in the first place. It is mentioned in-game that humans have destroyed themselves in one way or another, but it is left ambiguous. War? Pollution? Overpopulation? Who knows, these are all guesses. But, instead of learning from their mistakes, they instead get corrupted by the BigBad, who is, funnily enough, a symbol of humanity.]]

* For such a [[VideoGame/{{MOTHER}} lighthearted]] [[RousseauWasRight series]], ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' drives this point home when you least expect it. Really, even if the BigBad is [[{{Jerkass}} loathsome]], [[DirtyCoward despicable]], and [[CompleteMonster a sick monster in every way, shape and form]], you can't help but agree with him just a little bit when he delivers his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. In a nutshell, the [[spoiler: Tazmily Villagers erased their memories for a more Utopian society to prevent another Apocalypse from happening that nearly wiped out all the humans in the first place. It is mentioned in-game that humans have destroyed themselves in one way or another, but it is left ambiguous. War? Pollution? Overpopulation? Who knows, these are all guesses. But, instead of learning from their mistakes, they instead get corrupted by the BigBad, who is, funnily enough, a symbol of humanity.]]

* For such a [[VideoGame/{{MOTHER}} lighthearted series]], ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' drives this point home when you least expect it. Really, even if the BigBad is [[{{Jerkass}} loathsome]], [[DirtyCoward despicable]], and [[CompleteMonster a sick monster in every way, shape and form]], you can't help but agree with him just a little bit when he delivers his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. In a nutshell, the [[spoiler: Tazmily Villagers erased their memories for a more Utopian society to prevent another Apocalypse from happening that nearly wiped out all the humans in the first place. It is mentioned in-game that humans have destroyed themselves in one way or another, but it is left ambiguous. War? Pollution? Overpopulation? Who knows, these are all guesses. But, instead of learning from their mistakes, they instead get corrupted by the BigBad, who is, funnily enough, a symbol of humanity.]]

* For such a [[VideoGame/{{MOTHER}} lighthearted series]], ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' drives this point home when you least expect it. Really, even if the BigBad is [[{{Jerkass}} loathsome]], [[DirtyCoward despicable]], and [[CompleteMonster a sick monster in every way, shape and form]], you can't help but agree with him just a little bit when he delivers his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. In a nutshell, the Tazmily Villagers, [[spoiler: erased their memories for a more Utopian society to prevent another Apocalypse from happening that nearly wiped out all the humans in the first place. It is mentioned in-game that humans have destroyed themselves in one way or another, but it is left ambiguous. War? Pollution? Overpopulation? Who knows, these are all guesses. But, instead of learning from their mistakes, they instead get corrupted by the BigBad, who is, funnily enough, a symbol of humanity.]]

* For such a [[VideoGame/{{MOTHER}} lighthearted series]], ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' drives this point home when you least expect it. Really, even if the BigBad is [[{{Jerkass}} loathsome]], [[DirtyCoward despicable]], and [[CompleteMonster a sick monster in every way, shape and form]], you can't help but agree with him just a little bit when he delivers his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. In a nutshell, the Tazmily Villagers, [[spoiler: erased their memories for a more Utopian society to prevent another Apocalypse from happening that nearly wiped out all the humans in the first place because of their carelessness. But, it comes to bite them back that they will just repeat the cycle of destroying themselves.]] Well, you know what? Just read his monologue and see if you agree.
--> hold up wait a sec...

* Whenever WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic runs into this trope in a film (almost always with a helping of GreenAesop), the review cuts to a newsreel-style condemnation of man's evil, complete with clips from the movie and an old-timey voiceover. It's finally subverted in the previously mentioned ''OnceUponAForest'', where the voiceover finally gets sick of the trope, announces most humans are alright, and showcases how much more dangerous ''animals'' are.
** And then the movie subverts this by showing the humans not as bastards who caused the problem in the movie on purpose, but having simply made a mistake that they're more than willing to fix. TheNostalgiaCritic was shocked when the enviromental film took this stance instead of the standard "humans are complete bastards wanting nothing more than to destroy the planet" than most GreenAesop films do.

In essence HumansAreBastards is the reverse of RousseauWasRight — the natural proclivity of humanity is towards [[ItsAllAboutMe selfishness]], [[BystanderSyndrome apathy]] and violence. Only a select few people manage to rise above their baser natures to become something better, but the kernel of darkness is still inborn. When HumansAreBastards is in effect, even your "heroes" don't have clean hands, so most conflict is [[BlackAndGrayMorality gray against black]], with some [[GrayAndGrayMorality gray against gray]] or [[EvilVersusEvil black against black]] on for variety.

Compare CrapsackWorld, BlackAndGrayMorality. HobbesWasRight often makes an appearance, proposing that if the bastardy of humanity is a constant, the most effective form of government is tyranny. Contrast RousseauWasRight, WhiteAndGrayMorality. See also HumansAreFlawed, which takes the middle road by acknowledging humanity's shortcomings while not underplaying their potential capacity for virtue. For settings where only humans are bastards, while other species are morally superior, see HumansAreTheRealMonsters.

* This was the whole reason [[CuteIsEvil B.B. Hood]], an adorable, cute-looking little girl who looks like Little Red Riding Hood was introduced into ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} 3'', to prove that humans can be more evil than any actual monster. She's completely human with no superhuman powers at all (well, other than the fact that the basket she has is probably a BadOfHolding), but is the cruelest and most psychotic character in the game.

* This was the whole reason [[CuteIsEvil B.B. Hood]], an adorable, cute-looking little girl who looks like Little Red Riding Hood was introduced into ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}3'', to prove that humans can be more evil than any actual monster. She's completely human with no superhuman powers at all, but is the cruelest and most psychotic character in the game.

* This was the whole reason [[CuteIsEvil B.B. Hood]], an adorable, cute-looking little girl who looks like Little Red Riding Hood was introduced into ''VideoGame/Darkstalkers 3'', to prove that humans can be more evil than any actual monster. She's completely human with no superhuman powers at all, but is the cruelest and most psychotic character in the game.

* The MirrorUniverse in ''Franchise/StarTrek'' runs on this trope. A dark contrast to the standard HumansAreSpecial / RousseauWasRight that powers the regular TrekVerse, humanity in that universe is a race of xenophobic, dictatorial imperialists out to conquer any and everything in their path. And their just as brutal, if not moreso, to each other; in that universe's Starfleet, killing your superior officer is an acceptable means of promotion. Note, there is a level of pragmatism in what they do. They generally would rather an alien world willingly submit to the Terran Empire's rules, but whereas the Federation will take a no, the Empire will commence orbital bombardment. And while casually killing fellow officers is a means of career advancement, it seems decorum dictates it only be done in excused circumstances.

[[folder:Film]]
* The films of Todd Solondz.

[[folder:Literature]]
* Every single character in CormacMcCarthy's ''Literature/BloodMeridian'', even the hero is a multiple murderer who later on carries a necklace of ears around his neck. The only possible exception is [[spoiler: The Judge, as though he's the worst of the bunch, there's a suggestion he's not human.]]
* This is basically the moral of ''Literature/LordOfTheFlies'', along with HobbesWasRight.

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''{{Main/Malcolm in The Middle}}'' requires this to be a universal fact.
* The MirrorUniverse in ''Franchise/StarTrek'' runs on this trope. A dark contrast to the standard HumansAreSpecial / RousseauWasRight that powers the regular TrekVerse, humanity in that universe is a race of xenophobic, dictatorial imperialists out to conquer any and everything in their path. And their just as brutal, if not moreso, to each other; in that universe's Starfleet, killing your superior officer is an acceptable means of promotion. Note, there is a level of pragmatism in what they do. They generally would rather an alien world willingly submit to the Terran Empire's rules, but whereas the Federation will take a no, the Empire will commence orbital bombardment. And while casually killing fellow officers is a means of career advancement, it seems decorum dictates it only be done in excused circumstances.

In essence HumansAreBastards is the reverse of RousseauWasRight — the natural proclivity of humanity is towards [[ItsAllAboutMe selfishness]], [[SomebodyElsesProblem apathy]] and violence. Only a select few people manage to rise above their baser natures to become something better, but the kernel of darkness is still inborn. When HumansAreBastards is in effect, even your "heroes" don't have clean hands, so most conflict is [[BlackAndGrayMorality gray against black]], with some [[GrayAndGrayMorality gray against gray]] or [[EvilVersusEvil black against black]] on for variety.

Humans being bastards doesn't preclude them being [[PragmaticVillainy pragmatic]] about it, so if there isn't a profit to be made by making the world a hellhole, they might not, but if conditions are tolerable it certainly isn't due to any inborn altruism on the part of those in charge.

Very, very far down the cynical side of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism. Comedies are [[BlackComedy black]]. Dramas are [[DownerEnding depressing]]. Beware of DarknessInducedAudienceApathy.

** [[StrawNihilist Rau Le Creuset]] from ''GundamSeed'' believes that humans are selfish greedy bastards who will do anything to get ahead even if it means wiping themselves out in the process and justifies this viewpoint with both Kira's existence and his own existence as both were born through genetic manipulation and cloning respectively; this belief is also drives him to want to wipe out humanity entirely taking the "I'm TakingYouWithMe" ethos to its logicalExtreme. Fittingly, he's the worst of them all. The scary part? ''He's not entirely wrong''. Considering all the racism and blind hatred fueling the wars (which both sides are aware of and DEFEND as virtuous, especially at their highest levels of authority), he has a very good claim for arguing his point.
** In ''GundamSeedDesinty'', the Earth Alliance jumps straight to the Nuclear Option at the first opportunity. That opportunity was given them to ZAFT renegades dropping a colony on Earth. [[spoiler: This is what motivates the antagonist from the sequel to enact ThePlan to prevent such things from happening again, because he agreed humans became bastards as a result of their hatreds.]]

[[folder:Live-Action Tv]]