The word “sadism,” first coined by a German psychologist in the 19th century, is attributed to Marquis de Sade, the infamously pornographic writer of The 120 Days of Sodom. The definition of sadism is said to be the derivation of pleasure through cruelty and the infliction of pain, humiliation and other forms of suffering on others. There is a strong connection between sadism and sexual deviance due to the reputation of de Sade. While sexual deviance is a notable type of sadism, it hinders the argument of the commonness of sadism in the world.
Examples of sadism depend on the cultures involved. While the definition is consistent across cultures, different cultures will view actions in different ways. For example, animal sacrifice still occurs in certain indigenous tribes and some religions. Plenty of Americans would consider this sadistic as they do not consider the purpose involved. For something to be a sadistic action, it is generally thought that the only purpose of the action must be for pleasure or entertainment. Animal sacrifice may seem to be for pleasure, but most times it is an act of tradition or religious custom. In some cases, as many traditions are, the people sacrificing the animal may be happy; however, this may still not be considered a sadistic act if the tradition and not the killing of the animal derives joy. In America, the most common form of animal sacrifice is the murder of black cats around Halloween. As there is no true purpose, this is a sadistic act. Understanding the purpose is necessary for determining whether or not an action is sadistic. It is important to note that even if something is socially acceptable in the culture, and is seen as a tradition of custom, it can still be a sadistic act.
Sadistic plots exist in literature, both modern and ancient. Most of these works are fictional, possibly coming from a deranged or unstable author. Notable examples of sadistic literature include The 120 Days of Sodom, Fifty Shades of Grey, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The 120 Days of Sodom is easily characterized as sadistic, considering the title and the author. However, it provides a strong example of sexual sadism, the most notable type of sadism. The work is highly disturbing as four men use children as sex slaves and finally brutally kill them in various ways. Fanny Hill is another example of an erotic book, dating to the 19th century. Author John Cleland outdoes Marquis de Sade by adding fourteen sexual illustrations to his book. Examples of sadistic works, primarily ones involving sexual deviance, are littered throughout history and continue to be written today.
Movies and TV shows hold other great examples of consumable sadism.The movie genres “horror” and “thrillers” often involve classic sadistic characters. This is seen in the characters Buffalo Bill and Hannibal Lecter in the classic film Silence of the Lambs. The Hunger Games also addresses sadism both as a book and as a movie. The people within the Capitol make a game of the violent deaths of teenagers. They place bets and choose favorites as though they were not sending kids to their deaths. It is clear that they enjoy the games as they make a huge spectacle of it. The leaders directly force the kids to participate, making them truly sadistic.
Certain notable people throughout history can be deemed sadistic when considering the true definition of the term. Effective leaders tend to be exalted based on their powerful expansions and conquests. However, the deaths they caused and the damage they wreaked is largely ignored. For example, Napoleon is considered one of the greatest leaders in history, simply because of the amount of land he conquered. Napoleon was responsible for the deaths of millions of people, through unnecessary battles and the revival of slavery. Napoleon’s love for military conquest outweighed any sense of morals as he harmed so many simply because he wanted power. Dr. Mengele, the cruel doctor that used the Holocaust to experiment on people, is another example of a truly sadistic human. While other Nazi leaders had to be drunk during the selection of who went to die in the gas chambers, Mengele is said to have “often arrived smiling and whistling a tune.” His experiments often involved killing twins, injecting chemicals into people, and drawing lethal amounts of blood. He was driven by his interest in genetics and gave no regard for the pain he inflicted on children and others. Jeffrey Epstein stands as a clear case of sexual sadism as he sexually assaulted dozens of underage girls between 2002 and 2005. He invited girls to his house for “work” then forced them to give him sexual massages. He is reported to have raped a number of these girls and created a network of sex trafficking, clearly using violence and cruelty to please himself.
A common act of sadism that is generally ignored is bullying. Bullying can be both sadistic and non-sadistic, depending on why the person is doing the bullying. Many children bully others due to a lack of attention or as an attempt to deal with complex feelings such as guilt, fear, or sadness. However, bullying purely for fun and entertainment is sadistic. The four libertines in The 120 Days of Sodom classify as true bullies and sadists as they sexually torture children for pleasure and the reader is never told of any trauma or internal issues that may have caused this behavarior. Hurting or killing an animal can also be either sadistic or not. Anything done by accident is not sadistic as the goal was not pleasure. Hunting can be argued either direction as it is killing an animal to eat the meat. It is debated whether eating the meat of the animal is for pleasure or for necessity. Eating the meat of an animal is likely not a true necessity in America as plenty of other food is available. However, killing an animal to use as a resource may be considered a reasonable act and is therefore, not sadistic. Animal rights activists have fought against certain traditions and common actions in both the US and other countries. Many Americans are highly disturbed by the Yulin Dog Meat Festival in China, as this is considered animal abuse here. This brings in the idea that certain things may be sadistic or not depending on the culture of the people and the person viewing the act. Eating a dog seems sadistic to Americans because we keep them as pets and have laws protecting them. In China, they do not view it as getting pleasure from killing and consuming a trusted animal, but that it is a tradition about food and not sadistic at all. Another example is the tradition of bullfighting in Spain. Both the bullfighter and viewers can be considered sadists as they are taking pleasure in the potential injury of an animal. While the bullfighter is worse because they are directly causing the pain, the audience is still finding pleasure in it. It is less sadistic to laugh at someone falling by chance than it is to laugh when your friend makes someone trips. It is less sadistic to laugh when your friend makes someone trip than when you make someone trip on purpose. For an extreme example, dog fighting is truly sadistic as dogs are starved and made aggressive for the purpose of entertaining humans. The dogs suffer greatly and often die for the pleasure of humans. To those who view horse racing as animal abuse, it is reasonable to conclude that it is also sadistic. Forcing horses to go through extensive physical strain for humans to watch and place bets on, seems wrong. Plenty of racehorses are flooded with drugs and run into the ground as they are not properly rested or fueled. Horse racing, whether or not it is considered abusive, may be sadistic as they endure physical work for the entertainment of humans.
Sadistic characters are often obnoxious, rude and violent and many appear as bullies, criminals, or rapists. A clear example of sadist characters are the four libertines in The 120 Days of Sodom. They torture, bully, and harm children to sexually please themselves. The evil stepmother and stepsisters in Cinderella can also be considered sadistic as they appear to torment Cinderella for no real reason other than for fun. The name Cinderella is a mockery of her name and the chores she is forced to do. The Puritan leaders in The Scarlet Letter can be thought of as sadists even within their religious beliefs. They use public humiliation as a means of redemption, though in reality, it is simply to make others feel better about themselves. Even though the purpose appears to be religious belief, these leaders greatly enjoy shaming people for their sins, making it sadistic.
In theory, viewers can also be sadistic. While they are not directly causing the pain or suffering, they are still deriving pleasure from it whether it be fictional or real. These audiences are consuming sadistic media, therefore showing their own sadistic interests and tendencies. Because such audiences exist, sadistic works continue to be presented to the public, though they are usually considered “graphic,” “vulgar” or “inappropriate,” rather than sadistic. While people enjoy horror movies for the thrill, it is sadistic to revel in the murder or haunting of others. Music, especially rap and death metal, are labeled as explicit due to the plethora of curse words. However, these songs and others can be considered sadistic as they present the desire to hurt others. The topics of these songs appear inappropriate but are rarely considered sadistic, even though their language matches the definition of sadism. Enjoying these forms of sadistic media does not make someone a sadist, but it can hint at sadistic tendencies that may be concerning. Watching horror movies and reading pornographic books does not make someone a sadist as the work is likely fictional and the person would never engage in that behavior in real life. However, watching dog fights definitely qualifies as sadistic as the audience is directly involved in the cruel actions. Paying for these fights creates a demand for them, explicitly building the connection between a viewer and the action.