She turned me into a newt!

[jerome]

I found this interesting article about witch hunts (http://www.slate.com/id/2216429/?gt1=38001) today. It's a nice little history lesson anyways into the mass histeria mentality of people that apparently is still going on today.

Besides from what they mention in the article of it being about witches, it seems to me to branch out towards other areas. The article goes on to say that it's "in our DNA" to do so, it seems. Which would explain why people seem to always reach out to try and blame someone else for something where they really aren't the problem, but it seems to make them happy to do so. To me, this is where all of the stupidity of racism stems from. Not just of race, but other forms of prejudice as well is more what I mean. If you extend it further, I suppose it could be brought into some discussions of politics as well. But I'm not really trying to argue exact points of that, just my feeling of it.

So what do you all think of it?

[Aegix Drakan]

*depressed sigh*

I thought we had gotten over that retardedness. But it appears I placed too much stock in the human race, yet again.

I think it's utterly pathetic that as soon as wacko stuff starts to happen, people get paranoid and start throwing blame around. crops failed - the witch did it. My cow died - the devil did it. I fialed my exam - that goth girl jinxed me... it's all just stupid.

Honestly, as hard as it is to accept that random misfortune and deaths happen, it happens. Sure, you feel powerless if you admit it, but with a positive mental attitude, you can overcome that feeling.

Sheesh, I can't believe this tribal caveman way of thinking is still happening. It makes me think that if there was a world chattering catastrophe (saayy...a worldwide zombie outbreak), the majority of people would just resort to this instead of trying to survive.

ugh...I need to go get undepressed. *goes back to Ratchet and Clank*

[jerome]

*depressed sigh*
Sheesh, I can't believe this tribal caveman way of thinking is still happening. It makes me think that if there was a world chattering catastrophe (saayy...a worldwide zombie outbreak), the majority of people would just resort to this instead of trying to survive.

It'd probably be kind of like Stephen King's "The Mist". What people are remaining would just end one another. To semi-quote another movie, Terminator 2: "It's in our nature to destroy ourselves."

I guess the informed, most of the time, get over that. If it is a DNA thing, is it supposed to be a defense mechanism? I'm not saying necessarily "witch" type of thinking, but the blame goes to... whoever type of "logic"? (I did mean to put "witch" and not which. Not as a pun either.)

It's kind of like how a study that I had read about (sorry no link) that says people who are surrounded by a lot of people are LESS likely to notice a dishonest person. The "loner" type of people were a large percentage better at noticing which person was being dishonest about something. This was completely against what the study thought to prove. They thought that the loner people would be more willing to accept attention from whoever, and therefore not notice the dishonesty. The group people were still observant, but weren't as accurate. It was something along the lines of 55% for the group and 80% for the loners. My recall of the percentages may be a little off, but it was quite a difference.

I know that all people studies have flaws and variables and such, but I think this falls into the same catagory as the other DNA type of thing.

[The_Amaster]

It's the Philotic connections. They bind us together into emotional groups and help form mobs.

(Cookie if you get the reference)

[jerome]

I'm guessing Bee Movie? I don't know, haven't seen it... just guessing.

[Beldaran]

It's from one of my favorite books, Ender's Game.

[The_Amaster]

Heh, I just looked at this and I thought of the part in Xenocide with the mob and the burning of the forest.

[Beldaran]

I never got around to reading Xenocide. I read Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. I remember there being a short discussion of philotics in Ender's Game. I should read the other books in that series.

[jerome]

That'd explain why wiki said something about that and the queen bee sendimg orders quicker than the speed of light through philotic connections.

On secnd thought, I probably should've known something that thought provoking wasn't going to be coming from Jerry Seinfield. He's funny at times, but not so philisophical. Then again, neither am I.