Oftentimes, when someone acts in a way that seems rude or mean it can be explained by ignorance. Obviously when someone is pushing and shoving or something like that they are not oblivious to what they are doing, but someone saying a word that is not nice or not factually correct that causes harm, they may not be aware of why that’s not good. Your first reaction to someone doing anything wrong may be to yell or ridicule them when you should first step back and think about if this is a situation that could be just an ignorant person or an evildoer. 

Malice is the intent to cause harm or ill will. Ignorance is the lack of information. If someone were to throw their trash into the wrong bin, that could have simply been a situation where they didn’t see the sign. If someone were to change lanes on the highway without using their turn signal, a very dangerous thing to do at high speeds would be malice since to get a license you have to learn about turn signals and when you have to use them. Some situations are not so black and white. 

The best thing to do in a situation where it’s not sure if people are being malicious or ignorant is to take a second and access what happened. Acting without thinking isn’t a good thing to do in most situations but acting with anger can be a lot worse. If someone acted out of ignorance, getting yelled at will only make things worse and them less likely to listen. For the most part, unless you know the person, it’s better to stay out of it. 

Whether or not someone is acting out of malice or ignorance it is important to remember that it is not your job to educate others on what is right and wrong. They are their own person who can deal with the outcomes of their actions with or without your input. If you are not directly affected by the actions of this person it isn’t even necessary to get involved at all. 

Growing up I was taught to assume ignorance, not malice, and learned to see things through that lens of view. Instead of getting angry over someone else actions, back up and move on.