It’s related to patriarchy, a social system that is a dominance hierarchy. Privileged White males make up the largest portion of who resides at the pinnacle of that pyramid, although others can certainly behave in this way also. But this demographic (upper-middle class White boys) have been particularly conditioned to believe that the world is there for them. They weren’t being intentionally cruel — they were being clueless because the welfare of the fish was not their primary concern. Instead it was their conversation, their fun, their self-involvement. This is the point of this piece.