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| quote: | Originally posted by Lira
I don't get it. Why do some people think their opinion is universal? I would understand if you thought you were right, but if people have said they don't think alike, why do you still think they all deep inside agree with you? |
This is an interesting aspect to the thread, maybe we should start addressing this, because I'd like to understand it too. My mother is the same way. She has extremely strong convictions about money and various social issues: everything ever is about money; everyone in the world wants to win the lottery -- and you are a gigantic, lying idiot if you don't (but in her mind, you secretly do); she thinks that Muslims are bad people and that any sane, normal person would back her up she thinks that all women, no exceptions, want to be equal with men (the only ones who aren't are just weak to her) and that who successful women who occasionally embrace a very submissive side behind closed doors do not exist, or that they don't have an iota of intelligence. The main theme behind all her convictions is that she believes with complete certainty that everyone else backs her up and that anyone who doesn't is crazy, stupid, or lying.
Most people aren't big on critical thinking. I hate to say something so general, but that's just a statement I'm making to illustrate what I am trying to get across. I think that ideas such "Being rich is the most important thing," spread so easily because they're good at spreading... not because they're good ideas. Like a gene can be good at spreading, even if it's not good for the species. Here's an explanation selfish gene theory. (It might be wrong in some contexts [ NY Times article: A Challenge to Gene Theory, a Tougher Look at Biotech ], but the concept is still useful)
Again, ideas don't really spread because they're good, but because they're good at spreading. The people who buy into the the material wealth the most (and therefore, spread the idea the best) tend to make statements like: "You're lying if you don't agree with me," "Everyone wants to be rich, who doesn't?" They just put those statements out there, and they all agree with each other and they all try to make it look like you already agree with their opinion even if you don't. That tactic doesn't work on everyone, but I don't doubt that it's worked on lots of people throughout history. It's a powerful concept.
If most people share a viewpoint and ostracize, mock, or lash out towards anyone who simply disagrees with them, then I'm willing to bet that you will begin to share it too if you don't think critically about things. Either that, or you just don't want to take the risk of people behaving negatively towards you, so you conform to what society does. You will just go with the flow, even if in the long run, accepting the popular opinion simply because it's popular doesn't benefit you that much. Just following the crowd opinion simply because it's the crowds opinion, most certainly benefits others more than it benefits you. How many people are willing to seriously ask themselves why so many feel so strongly about a topic? I think those of us who don't wholeheartedly agree with the financial wealth have the ability to entertain a thought without accepting it, and never accept ideas that are popular unless we make sure that... we actually accept those ideas. Unlike most people who will just see everyone all riled up or excited about one thing and will get riled up and excited themselves.
It's like society is one big mob. You know how that goes.
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"If she's old enough to crawl, she's already in position." -- Pedobear
Last edited by Akridrot on Oct-24-2008 at 13:26
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