The Dartmoth Review: I read an interview where you said that human nature is intrinsically evil. Do you really think that?
Bret Easton Ellis: I can't believe someone's reminding me that I said that. It's so weird. I believe that we are very flawed, as animals, and that our circuitry is very flawed, and the way we construct society and our needs are completely at odds.
TDR: What specifically do you think is wrong?
BEE: I think we're basically animals apart, and more often than not, we feel oppressed by the lack of choices, but that shouldn't be the way it is. There should be much more of a sense of freedom.
TDR: Do you think that goes from the top down?
BEE: Nirvana is unattainable. What life teaches you is that everything is about unattainability. I really think that human beings are more about suffering than anything else. At the same time, you try to find things that make you happy. You know, I really sound too sappy when I talk about this stuff. I should start being like, “Evil is good! Cannibalism - thumbs up! Vampires - love them!”
- The Dartmouth Review - The Making of an Anti-Hero: An Interview with Bret Easton Ellis by Ram Murali - April 21, 1999 -
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