I think that, to a large extent, people really want to be part of a world-wide effort to save humanity. They don't want a world war but just some huge thing of which to be a part. They can then earn the "I saved humanity merit badge" and then tell their grandkids:
"You should have seen it! Bodies piled 10 feet high lining every street! Why I told your grandma, 'this is it! we gotta do our part!" and we put on masks, social distanced and took whatever medicine the government ordered! And that's why I'm here to tell you about that today Jonny and Suzie! Your great uncle Jeff... well... god rest his soul was a vax denier and he didn't make it. He'll have to make his piece with god for all the people he killed through his selfish actions and all the misinformation he spread!"
Jonny and Suzie: "But Grandad, it says in the True History Book that it was the people who wore masks, got tested, socially distanced and got jabbed were gullible idiots who made saving the world a lot harder for the antivaxxers like Uncle Jeff."
Wow, that was me. Masks, etc. in February and stocking up. April 1, this is baloney. Knew immediately after FAuci pushed trump aside to poo poo HCQ (I trust Raoult Didier more than any other doctor and he foudn the cure in late Feb in Marseilles.) So I am a bit an early re-actor, but a bit too not a good herd person for any length of time.
"We should understand the limitations of ourselves and fellow man, and not claim pride in being an ‘outsider’ when we’ve only found an alternative tribe to conform to. We should recognise the evolutionary value of ‘tribal’ conformity and try to make conformal instincts work in all our interests; while also balancing the value of the nonconformist who recognises when the tribe is in error, with not allowing excessive disruption when it isn’t."
Correct, though the claim of being an 'outsider' along with a significant minority of others was not made out of pride, but out of the urge to understand. That said, those who resisted the scam Covid narrative, especially those few who resisted getting jabbed, subjected as they were to an organised, vicious and unrelenting campaign of propaganda, extreme coercion/compulsion, derision, hatred and guilt-shaming, absolutely should be proud of themselves. Such inner strength and resilience is exceptionally rare nowadays.
Outsiders run with the herd, but they are not of the herd. There is an obvious evolutionary advantage to tribal conformity, but there is also a counterpoint evolutionary advantage to there being in existence members of the species who do not conform to tribalism - of any kind. Those people exist. They live on the fringes and they see threats incoming which the herd cannot see. They are necessary, when tribalism threatens the very destruction of the species. Outsiders are not your pick 'n' choose opportunist 'sceptics' who might resist strongly one false narrative but heartily embrace another. They are genuine sceptics who don't take anything at face value and question everything, not because they are members of a tribe but because they are individuals with a uniquely individual approach to life. It is of course natural for people to seek like-minded others, but it is not an imperative for true 'outsiders' and when such people do gather, tribalistic groupthink doesn't feature prominently IMO.
I think that, to a large extent, people really want to be part of a world-wide effort to save humanity. They don't want a world war but just some huge thing of which to be a part. They can then earn the "I saved humanity merit badge" and then tell their grandkids:
"You should have seen it! Bodies piled 10 feet high lining every street! Why I told your grandma, 'this is it! we gotta do our part!" and we put on masks, social distanced and took whatever medicine the government ordered! And that's why I'm here to tell you about that today Jonny and Suzie! Your great uncle Jeff... well... god rest his soul was a vax denier and he didn't make it. He'll have to make his piece with god for all the people he killed through his selfish actions and all the misinformation he spread!"
Jonny and Suzie: "But Grandad, it says in the True History Book that it was the people who wore masks, got tested, socially distanced and got jabbed were gullible idiots who made saving the world a lot harder for the antivaxxers like Uncle Jeff."
One can only hope! 😀
Wow, that was me. Masks, etc. in February and stocking up. April 1, this is baloney. Knew immediately after FAuci pushed trump aside to poo poo HCQ (I trust Raoult Didier more than any other doctor and he foudn the cure in late Feb in Marseilles.) So I am a bit an early re-actor, but a bit too not a good herd person for any length of time.
Thanks for the long, thoughtful reply.
"We should understand the limitations of ourselves and fellow man, and not claim pride in being an ‘outsider’ when we’ve only found an alternative tribe to conform to. We should recognise the evolutionary value of ‘tribal’ conformity and try to make conformal instincts work in all our interests; while also balancing the value of the nonconformist who recognises when the tribe is in error, with not allowing excessive disruption when it isn’t."
Correct, though the claim of being an 'outsider' along with a significant minority of others was not made out of pride, but out of the urge to understand. That said, those who resisted the scam Covid narrative, especially those few who resisted getting jabbed, subjected as they were to an organised, vicious and unrelenting campaign of propaganda, extreme coercion/compulsion, derision, hatred and guilt-shaming, absolutely should be proud of themselves. Such inner strength and resilience is exceptionally rare nowadays.
Outsiders run with the herd, but they are not of the herd. There is an obvious evolutionary advantage to tribal conformity, but there is also a counterpoint evolutionary advantage to there being in existence members of the species who do not conform to tribalism - of any kind. Those people exist. They live on the fringes and they see threats incoming which the herd cannot see. They are necessary, when tribalism threatens the very destruction of the species. Outsiders are not your pick 'n' choose opportunist 'sceptics' who might resist strongly one false narrative but heartily embrace another. They are genuine sceptics who don't take anything at face value and question everything, not because they are members of a tribe but because they are individuals with a uniquely individual approach to life. It is of course natural for people to seek like-minded others, but it is not an imperative for true 'outsiders' and when such people do gather, tribalistic groupthink doesn't feature prominently IMO.