R. S. Martin Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 Actually, I've been aware of it for a very long time. One-upmanship seems to be the foundation on which their lives are built and based. Or is that just a diversion of the people who don't have TV and its violent movies? What was your community like? Mine was one of a number of very similar communities all living intermingled in the same geographical area. In one block of 8 farms next to each other and across the road from each other when I was a child, five different groups were represented. I think perhaps one of them allowed radio and possibly TV. I guess competition for identity would have been huge. Did you experience the same type of thing or was it just because of the nature of my community? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurisaz Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 Generally, I'd say it's always a very small step from "I'm special" to "you're not special" to "you're worthless scum nyah nyah". Whether you take that step depends, among other things, on your personality and education. If one is taught that not only is her group special, but all others are plain evil immoral perverse whathaveyou... then the step becomes damn small. Just the 2 cents of someone who never experienced fundyism personally (as a member/victim) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurari Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 I think it's just human nature. It's not just a religious thing, you see this all the time in all different kinds of communities. Race, sexuality, pet owners, schools, diet watchers, athletes...it's all over. People need to feel bigger and stronger than other people. They need security, something to assure them in a big wide world that they have a leg up. Easiest way to feel that way is to put down another individual or group. I think Fundyism is just another example. People feel need to control, and fundyism is a great supplier of control tactics and secure mindsets to coddle the fearful and angry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 Basic insecurity... they know they're talking rubbish. Ever noticed how the worst self-proclaimed 'Bad Ass' has the worst bitten fingernails? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycorth Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 People are jerks. What can I say? My neighborhood wasn't strict at all about religion. Well yes, strict to a degree about identifying as a Roman Catholic, but not about making sure you believed everything the Pope said or studying the Babble, etc. So long as you called yourself a Catholic and only expressed a Catholic spirituality, you were fine. It stood in sharp contrast to the rest of New Jersey and surrounding areas, where Pagans and other non-xians could just let it all hang out and no one would bat an eyelash (I miss New Hope, hehe), but such strictness on the part of Catholics only applied if you lived in a Catholic neighborhood, I'd think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted May 12, 2007 Author Share Posted May 12, 2007 Good answers all. I'm laughing at myself. This is the type of thing I could probably have seen in any other situation except my own Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongo Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 Ruby, The others are correct but that is not the whole picture. Fundies don't have logical arguments to back up their black and white thinking. The alternative is the Ad Hominin attack which has been developed into an art form. The Ad Hominin is the bread and butter of their existance and the brainwashing cannot possibly work nearly as well if they are to abandon this tool. Aside from normal behaviour that is clearly found on this atheist site by some atheists, fundies make it part and parcel of their lifestyle. Disagree with <<put name of apostate here. e.g. Darwin>>? Then talk about their moral behaviour. Call them names. Colour your words to make them look stupid or confused. You cannot have a religion that says that every thing that the apostate says is guided by the devil and not have them heaping moral condemnation on the sinner. Sorry folks, we'll have to disagree on this one. Mongo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 You cannot have a religion that says that every thing that the apostate says is guided by the devil and not have them heaping moral condemnation on the sinner. Yeah, I think that pretty much says it. I don't think this kind of thought process is limited to the religious though. Many (if not most) people construct reasons for thinking themselves better than the rest of humanity in my opinion. I know that I've also been guilty of such things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 I go with the great Daoist sage Nelson Muntz remember... ye deville is a prydefulle spyrite... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted May 15, 2007 Author Share Posted May 15, 2007 I go with the great Daoist sage Nelson Muntz remember... ye deville is a prydefulle spyrite... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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