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OOC: You appear to have been infected by other's thoughts
Category: Blogging
Current mood:
 contemplative
Below are the identifiers or causes, if you will, of mob mentality: - Deindividuation—when people are part of a group, they experience a loss of self-awareness.
- Identity—when people are part of a group, they can lose their sense of individual identity.
- Emotions—being part of a group can lead to heightened emotional states, be that excitement,anger, hostility, etc.
- Acceptability—behaviours that are usually seen as unacceptable become acceptable when others in a group are seen carrying them out.
- Anonymity—people feel anonymous within a large group, which reduces their sense of responsibility and accountability.
- Diffusion of responsibility—being part of a group creates the perception that violent or unacceptable behavior is not a personal responsibility but a group one.
- The larger the group or crowd, the more likely there will be deindividuation and diffusion of responsibility
As adults, and I do assume we are all adults here, (not necessarily by character but by the person behind the screen reading this,) we prefer to think of ourselves as individuals. As an American, I am proud of our individuality and personal freedoms. (Some of my ancestors were here first- after all.) So much so, we tend to forget that we didn't invent everything. It's been drummed into our brains, almost from birth, that Western civilizations "came first" and "privilege" and "pioneering" go hand in hand. That until "we" created it - nothing existed.
That's baloney. Short and sweet - there's nothing new under the sun. There are new ways of looking at old things, but none of us alive today invented colour, sounds, etc., most of us didn't even invent our play-bys - so the idea of blasting someone for "stealing" our "stolen" stuff is, in point of fact, ludicrous. We think nothing of "lifting" and taking for our own the storylines written by others of books and movies, bastardizing these into AU and calling it "original writings."
Truth be told, it's a form of plagiarism - and we're lucky we're not all of us getting the pants sued off of us by the writers and creators. For all I know, they've got folks skimming these AUs harvesting ideas for their shows and laughing all the way to the bank.
The point is simple however, no one here, except the administrators who run this site, have the right to bolster their ego's by singling out others and forcing them away from this site just for kicks. When that happens, it makes them just as annoying and as much a troll as the people they target. They have then become bullies and folks, I don't think that's really what people come here to become.
This is a site for entertainment, joy, pleasure, expression through a creative medium. It's not a popularity contest. Instant gratification maybe yes, but not to get one's jollies trying to see how many people one can torment or berate because one's ego is so small, so insecure, so threatened by the possible existence of a better "other character" or "excellent writer" than one's self.
I am a good writer, there are many of them here. Many far better than I. Do I feel threatened by this? No. I'm impressed by this and even honoured and flattered when I get the opportunity to write with them. They help me grow as a writer and further my creative expression. The only person I'm here to compete with is myself, to be a better writer, a more critical thinker, a more expansive creator through words.
Sometimes we have to ask ourselves why we are here. Is this where we are getting our self-validation? Is this where we feel truly understood, loved, valued? Is this where we can turn loose of our inner demons or angels? What drives us to be here? To isolate, surround and pick on someone until we draw blood? If it's the latter, then you are among the Lord of the Flies, and honestly, I'd advise you to seek professional help, you have more issues than an imagined world can ease for you.
That's not to say you don't have a right to be here, you do, just like the rest of us. I have no right to tell anyone they shouldn't be here. I do have the right to state my mind on a subject, and it's simply this. When we cease to think for ourselves, whether in or out of character, we lose our most valuable right - the right of freedom, of individuality. Once lost, it's damned hard to get back so don't let it go too quickly.
If it's been a while since you've read Lord of the Flies, read it again. There's lessons in it for all of us. Especially now when our entire r/l culture seems to have turned toward "Might means Right" and "Mob Rules" tends to be the order of the day. You can agree or disagree with me all day long and it's your right. I will uphold your right to hate/love my opinion and have one of your own. That's what makes up a good, balanced world where everyone has an opinion based on their own research, life experience, common sense, and related thought.
Have a care, have a thought, don't just go with what's popular. I mean, come on, look what that kind of thinking did for the folks of Jones Town. Seriously? Do you want to belong to what you perceive of as the "in" crowd that bad? I hope not. I think not.
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