I've been mulling whether people who intend to harm do more damage than really, really stupid people. On one hand, if someone gets killed, injured, etc, then to them it probably doesn't matter whether the person(s) responsible intended to do so. On the other hand, there's something decidedly insidious about malicious people.

What do you think? Yes, you can provide examples from history and current events, but don't go picking on any past or present VBers.

I'd perhaps go for a third option, and suggest that apathy is the worst of all.

Shhhh Jen, I knew people would go for that one if I brought it up. Of malice and incompetence, which is worse?

Tough choice ... the malicious people wouldn't get very far if it weren't for the stupid people, but the stupid people probably wouldn't cause nearly as much damage if not being led around by the malicious people.

Hmmmm....

malice.
for some reason, it seems that intent should matter. malice is also less common, I think.

ebola

Malice. You can probably do a lot more damage with an evil plan set into action than by accidentally blundering around.

malice

malice

malice.

Malice Mizer, oops wrong thread. :D

Guacivore has it wrapped up, but I feel/sense that stupid people don't rely on Malicious people so much as Malice people rely on "stupid" victims (who are also guitly of much inflict-depositing everywhere subconciously or not)....so whilst this is not asolution, its a theory at least that offers to make it simple, so with that in mind just let the stupids cop it from the Malice people and then get the Stupids to retaliate until they are no more of either, lol

Stupidity. I hate st00pid people :p

malice is a very maligned emotion sometimes, its not always calculating deliberately, (I myself can testify just from what I know of myself) which would then downgrade into something similar to stupid, not that I'm calling myself stupid, I mean what malign malice can be sometimes is something benign if it were not for the stupid misunderstandings about
what makes a person psychotic or whatever. See just there, I even make use of the word stupid there, in deferential irony (so to speak), defending malice malignity (as it is in some forms) ....
Anyhoo, in other words I would confront ignorance about what is not always the case about malice, of it being sort of psychotic etc (if that is whats most remarked about when refering to malice per se).....but in the end of analytical debate I would probably end up with saying MALICE is worse than just "stupid" unless of course you are meaning "stupid" add "maniacal" which in short is a crazy mo fo, resulting in as much bad as malice or intent. see what I mean, A LOT of people are intentionally STUPID, so MALICE is really bearly much worse if by citing STUPID, you mean the crazy mofo variety with wanton disregard for other people~ etc.