I appreciate you sharing this genuine frustration. Here's what I've observed:

**It's rarely conscious deliberation.** Most people aren't sitting down planning destruction. Instead:

**Insecurity operates automatically.** When someone sees another person succeeding, it can trigger:
- Fear of irrelevance ("If they're winning, where do I fit?")
- Comparison pain (automatic, not chosen)
- Ego defense (attacking feels like protection)

**The brain has shortcuts that bypass reason.** You can *intellectually* know you should be happy for someone while your nervous system simultaneously feels threatened. These happen at different speeds.

**Some people haven't learned the skill.** Genuine celebration of others' wins is actually something you develop. People raised in scarcity mindsets, competitive environments, or with conditional love often never learn it.

**Jealousy feels like evidence.** When threatened, people seek confirmation: "See, they're actually not that great." The feeling becomes 'proof,' so tearing down feels justified, not chosen.

**The honest answer:** It's not really a simple choice between two clear options. It's more like people getting hijacked by fear they don't fully understand, then rationalizing it afterward.

Does that match what you're observing? The people doing this—are they conscious it's happening, or do they have narratives justifying it?