Reddit mentions of The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind

It's ironic how we try to limit the offenders to a certain subreddit. The internet creates an anonymity which unconsciously pushes us towards associating/identifying with others like us on the internet. This is what Reddit so popular and at times so formulaic with the: DAE and constant circle jerk of certain ideas.

The crowd creates a togetherness but this togetherness leads to a emotional based decision-making and views of issues , vast simplifications of problems and rash decisions as less people challenge the views of the masses or choose not to go against the grain. Things like KONY 2012, #Occupy, SOPA, few people online truly understand, but many have an emotional response to.

This is not a trait that we can merely throw on a few outcasts and go about our business, a lot of us have to take responsibility for acting in a similar fashion to one degree or another. If we look at Reddit's reaction to: Chris Brown, Woody Harrelson, whichever mod is deemed to be unpopular today, or even the way the majority of the people will react to the member deemed 'responsible' for someone else committing suicide, it is clear that this thought process is something that affects the entire website. The idea of vigilante justice assumes that you have the moral high ground just as much as the culprits at the latest event that has everyone up in arms.

We all have these little cliques that are supposed to do XYZ. r/funny makes a joke out of everything, r/atheism looks down on religion, etc etc ad nausem. Let's not try and blame one subset of individuals for something the whole site is guilty of. They are of the same mindset as everyone else, it is just their mindset and circle-jerk is deemed as less productive from our own 'moral high grounds'.


TL;DR: Read The Crowd by Gustav Le Bon

Not really, since I bought the German translation but this one seems pretty solid: http://www.amazon.com/The-Crowd-Study-Popular-Mind/dp/0486419568

> Must be a horrible world you live in that everything is part of a conspiracy.

I never implied that everything is part of a conspiracy.
Is it hard for you to accept that people come together and make plans for their own benefit?

> Have you thought about moving to Russia where the press and government never lies?

Now you are just being silly. But I'll respond anyway, because I hope you come around.

Russia lies too, they have a stake in Iran's natural gas. If the US wins in Syria, then they won't be able to sell LNG to Europe for as much profit. I don't think they are trying to assist Syria because of altruistic intentions.

In short, main stream / state run media is not trustworthy. In any country.

If I could leave you with one last suggestion, consider reading "The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind".
https://www.amazon.com/Crowd-Study-Popular-Mind/dp/0486419568

it's not you. it's the pro-Ukrainian circlejerk, which transmogrifies hipster redditors into bloodthirsty patriots. your comment is vaguely anti-American, and while that would get you upvoted most of the time on reddit in the Ukranian circlejerk it makes you a tool of Russian oppression.

the entire episode has been a wonderul illustration of time-honored truisms regarding crowds. it's become tiresome, though, and with any luck it will have quieted down in a few weeks to allow reddit to back to cats.