Fraternities and Clubs? Herd/Mob mentality at it's worse?

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When people join certain organizations, it can bring out the worst or the best and propel them to act in ways they wouldn't have the courage or imagination to do on their own. I admit I am deeply intrigued by organizations because psychologically, I am not geared toward this kind of thinking...how to fit into a group although I admit it would be kind of neat to be this mad leader that can just say the word and BOOM all these people are doing what I want although in real life, I wouldn't want that power. It is fun to think about it hypothetically, as in, what would I do if that were possible. In reality, I would feel like crap knowing I was responsible for all those poor people who seem to have no will of their own. I would want nothing less than the best for them and would have to constantly watch what I cause them to do based on what I say or do. I wouldn't want that responsibility because I would take it very seriously and anyone getting harmed in any way I would take very personally and feel responsible for their suffering.

So why is it certain people are so callous about it?

You're not describing Greek organizations or clubs. You're describing cults and, specifically, cult leaders.

“People are wonderful. I love individuals. I hate groups of people. I hate a group of people with a ‘common purpose’. ‘Cause pretty soon they have little hats. And armbands. And fight songs. And a list of people they’re going to visit at 3am. So, I dislike and despise groups of people but I love individuals. Every person you look at; you can see the universe in their eyes, if you’re really looking.” -- George Carlin

There is a strong tendency for Fraternities and Sororities to be what may be termed an "extension of high school."

There is much sophomoric stuff going on within them--like hazing, for example.

The problem with frats and such is their tendency toward groupthink.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupthink

Groupthink is a very powerful, psychological force. It can cause people to do stupid things as we just witnessed at OU. It's often what causes mobs of people to commit atrocities (that no single member would ever commit). It can cause 'experts' to do stupid things, or even make obviously suicidal decisions...

The scariest mobs don't have that sort of strong leadership that you are describing. That sort of leadership where everyone turns to one person for guidance can go well or badly (a cult, like Yippy Skippy says). But the scariest mobs don't all look to one person. Neither do fraternities, for that matter.

The scariest mobs are the ones that coalesce around an idea, rather than a person. It won't be a complicated and detailed idea like you get with a cult- an idea so convoluted that it takes lengthy indoctrination to even spell it out. It will be a simple 'us vs them' idea like 'what happened was all X's fault- get him/them'. Then you get a riot or lynch mob. A riot mob that has formed around the idea that enemy X caused Y is the scariest thing to see or even worse to be near. There won't be a leader pulling the reins but there will be an absence of the sort of reasoned thought that individuals have.
the 1992 L.A. riots


There is no leader. There is only the idea that enemy X caused Y.

Yup, fraternities and clubs don't usually kill people, so that's just human instinctual behavior to form groups around common purposes that work in a 'somewhat' rational way, at least.

AND OH MY GOD, SO-CALLED Autistic folks are not excluded from this phenomenon, as the most irrational ideology I have ever heard of for Internet social bonding purposes is this idea that OH MY GOD AUTISM SPEAKS, A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION, IS OUT TO DO 'HARM' TO AUTISTIC FOLKS.

THAT TAKES THE ICING AND THE CAKE FOR IRRATIONALITY.

BUT AGAIN, people will believe almost anything to fit into something, as that is human instinctual behavior that allows human animals innately and instinctually to survive, OVERALL, PER SOCIAL COOPERATION.

The scary thing is, any ideology OR PRACTICE OF PURPOSE will do, no matter how irrational it is, from women seeking self-esteem through female genital mutilation in African Muslim Countries to folks on an Internet site transforming a non-profit volunteer organization THAT ACTUALLY help folks IN REAL LIFE, TO AN IMAGINARY 'Nazi group' or the frigging 'EVIL EMPIRE', AND that stuff goes on as we speak, ON various Internet sites across InterwebZ Land.

I go my own way.

It takes practice but it works REALLY WELL, YES, HEALTHY AND WELL IN BEING IN MIND AND BODY BALANCE, AS WELL!..