Thought-provoking stuff. I always enjoy reading what you have to say.
It's occurred to me that phrases like "mass formation psychosis" often become a faddish shorthand for people who want to dismiss someone else out of hand while sounding better-informed than they in reality are. There's much more of an intellectual veneer to saying "mass formation psychosis" than it does to say "turn off CNN," even if the latter is what you really mean. Another example is accusing someone of "Dunning-Kruger," which in a stroke of great irony is almost always done by a person who has never actually read anything by Dunning or Kruger.
All of the above said, we really do all know people who will simply parrot whatever their preferred news network or talk show host or pundit says, and will not think for themselves, and it's a huge problem in a 21st century where every person can curate their own little echo chamber of comfort. I think a key is to recognize the tendency in ourselves, too, because we all have it. Being aware will tend to make you less susceptible.... I hope.
Very well done. (I do find that people use the phrase "mass formation psychosis," which is not the term Mattias Desmet uses. He writes about mass formation - others have added the word "psychosis," which muddies the waters a bit. But your discussion is spot on & very even-handed. I love how you point us to ourselves, to realize our own mistaken attributions of confused thinking. Thank you for this!
Wonderful piece, Sarah! Thank you for such a clear examination that shifts the pressure away from blame and towards awareness, away from what others "should be doing" and towards what I might be doing and can change when I choose.
I have often found myself listening for guidance from my late cousin Winston (he of the Ministry of Truth in Orwell's 1984) but your article reminds me that that this is simply more of my own narrative telling me I can see the truth where others can't.
And you are reminding me that while I can (and do) deeply respect and heed the wisdom of artists who've come before us, including Orwell, just as I don't want any media source to dictate my reality, I would do well to not let any other external source do so either. Even (especially?) Orwell.
I read Orwell's overall message to mean that the Party is within all of us. Anytime we use the means to justify the end we are becoming the Party. And we revise history continually in our own mind to suit our narratives - we do it unconsciously and not out of Orwellian malice, but we still do it, and can uncover it if we sit in awareness rather than judgement. There's so much usefulness in 1984 and other behavioural theories and dystopian predictions, I just think that they are most powerful if we examine them in our own minds. Thanks for reading and your thoughtful comment! ❤️
Oooh I love this reply. Especially seeing it now, two weeks after posted, given conversations that have happened since. This is either really, really true, or we're in a time warp. Or both :-)
Thought-provoking stuff. I always enjoy reading what you have to say.
It's occurred to me that phrases like "mass formation psychosis" often become a faddish shorthand for people who want to dismiss someone else out of hand while sounding better-informed than they in reality are. There's much more of an intellectual veneer to saying "mass formation psychosis" than it does to say "turn off CNN," even if the latter is what you really mean. Another example is accusing someone of "Dunning-Kruger," which in a stroke of great irony is almost always done by a person who has never actually read anything by Dunning or Kruger.
All of the above said, we really do all know people who will simply parrot whatever their preferred news network or talk show host or pundit says, and will not think for themselves, and it's a huge problem in a 21st century where every person can curate their own little echo chamber of comfort. I think a key is to recognize the tendency in ourselves, too, because we all have it. Being aware will tend to make you less susceptible.... I hope.
Very well done. (I do find that people use the phrase "mass formation psychosis," which is not the term Mattias Desmet uses. He writes about mass formation - others have added the word "psychosis," which muddies the waters a bit. But your discussion is spot on & very even-handed. I love how you point us to ourselves, to realize our own mistaken attributions of confused thinking. Thank you for this!
Wonderful piece, Sarah! Thank you for such a clear examination that shifts the pressure away from blame and towards awareness, away from what others "should be doing" and towards what I might be doing and can change when I choose.
I have often found myself listening for guidance from my late cousin Winston (he of the Ministry of Truth in Orwell's 1984) but your article reminds me that that this is simply more of my own narrative telling me I can see the truth where others can't.
And you are reminding me that while I can (and do) deeply respect and heed the wisdom of artists who've come before us, including Orwell, just as I don't want any media source to dictate my reality, I would do well to not let any other external source do so either. Even (especially?) Orwell.
I read Orwell's overall message to mean that the Party is within all of us. Anytime we use the means to justify the end we are becoming the Party. And we revise history continually in our own mind to suit our narratives - we do it unconsciously and not out of Orwellian malice, but we still do it, and can uncover it if we sit in awareness rather than judgement. There's so much usefulness in 1984 and other behavioural theories and dystopian predictions, I just think that they are most powerful if we examine them in our own minds. Thanks for reading and your thoughtful comment! ❤️
Oooh I love this reply. Especially seeing it now, two weeks after posted, given conversations that have happened since. This is either really, really true, or we're in a time warp. Or both :-)