Teaching /society --- why do they think that??

I've seen and heard a pretty common "explanation" come from people about my student's age...

Student 1: "Can you believe __________ is making us (me) do _________ (something they don't like)."
Student 2: "Why did your teacher (authority figure / parent... someone in power) do that?"
Student 1" "Because they want us (me) to be miserable."

huh?? Especially when it comes to school work, assignemnts or other things -- why do they think that our motivation is to make them miserable? I don't see the logic -- what will happen to them in the next 20 years or so that will make them into mean, nasty, human beings whose only goal is to make people 17-20 miserable...

What happened to ME to make me someone who wants to torture the poor little dears until they are exhausted and bitter...

Do they think that we do these terrible things to them because they were done to us? Do they just have a complex about anybody who asks them to do something for their own good... Are they just a bit lazy?

I don't understand the response -- it is probably because I'm a terrible person who just wants to make them miserable because I can.

or, maybe the response doesn't make sense.