Weekly Discussion

[Science Abuse]

There is a presence of tribal tentancies in contemporary society. You see in it anything from small family units, to relgions and political parties. Its so strong that some will find themselves doing what they normaly would not, just because "the tribe" wills it.

The easiest example I can think of is caving to peer presure. What other tribal tendancies do you witness in daily life? What do you think motivates it?

[Jackson1647545504]

vagina

[Dr. Pomade]

vagina

 

As stupid as this ^^^ sounds, a case could be made that it's not that far from the truth. Said a bit differently, it could be argued that our "tendencies" stem primarily - or even completely - from the inherent urge to maximize our reproductive fitness (i.e., have as many replications of our DNA in subsequent generations as possible). So, yeah, "vagina" counts for a lot.

 

Peer pressure is a cool topic. I always liked the experiments conducted by Asch, who studied conformity (i.e., peer pressure). His experiements were simple, but brilliant. They essentially involved having a group of people look at some lines and pick which lines were most alike in length. The catch was that all but one of the people in the experiment were "in on it" - that is, they were actors placed there by Asch. They would all give obviously incorrect answers, and then put pressure on the one person not in on the experiment to conform their response (which was obviously the correct one) to their response (which was obviously incorrect). Through that kind of experimental condition, Asch found that the following factors enhanced a person's likelihood of conforming (i.e., succumbing to peer pressure and giving an obviously incorrect response):

 

- the more the individual expects to interact with the group in the future;

- the lower the status the individuals holds amongst the group; and

- the unanamity of the group.

[iwishiwascool]

...

I’ve seen videos of those studies: Nearly all of the people eventually cave to the social anxiety of being an outsider and begin to report knowingly wrong answers. In doing so, you can tell their spirit has been broken and they are about a razor blade away from the end of their wits

[Orion]

yeah, i actually participated in one of those studies. im the exception, i guess. in fact, the others found me rather offensive.

 

"thats wrong."

 

"no, its totally right."

 

"youre stupid."

 

hehe.

[Lustalbert]

I couldnt do one of those tests. Id be beating somone down before switching my awnser.

[Science Abuse]

......

What age groups did he study? I'd be rather curious to learn if conformity is a learned trait, or a natural tendancy. I'd put money on the latter, but there is something to be said for the effect parents have on what their children consider important. Conformity is actualy piped into most kids, but it's billed as "Disciplin". How a lesson is taken is entirtrely up to the perception of the individual. You think you're telling your kid the virtues of self control by punishing deviations from your particular prefered social paradigm, but what the simpler mind of the child is observing and perceiving is simply "If I don't do what they are doing it'll be bad, and I'll be punished." Therefore, they dont realy have self control, they just adopt the set of bondries you established for them.

 

So, do they choose the incorrect line because:

A: What remains of human social instinct is telling them "you need to fit in, or no skeet skeet skeet for you!"

-or-

B: They've come to beleive that life is better when you go with the flow, whether or not its right or wrong.

There are no answered questions, just more questions to answer, there is always a "why".

 

I'd opt for A, since I'm a beleiver that there's no escaping your biology, but there is a strong argument for B.

[Guest Luetic]

one of the biggest tribal pushes is the one to expand the tribe. So many people are brainwashed from the time they are children believing you grow up, get married and have children. That there is no option. Most ask When you are getting married and How many children you will have. It is a shame that more don't ask themselves if they want to be married ever and do they really want to make a breedling. In days long gone children were an asset. Now they are a pure liability, yet the push to make them by society continues.

[Science Abuse]

one of the biggest tribal pushes is the one to expand the tribe. So many people are brainwashed from the time they are children believing you grow up, get married and have children. That there is no option. Most ask When you are getting married and How many children you will have. It is a shame that more don't ask themselves if they want to be married ever and do they really want to make a breedling. In days long gone children were an asset. Now they are a pure liability, yet the push to make them by society continues.

That's another good point. But I dont think it's as much of a societal push. The urge to breed is always there. How you go about doing it is where your upbringing comes in. Most of the world beleive in mariage then breeding, but htere are other parts of the world where mothers and fathers take on very different roles. There is a region of south central china where the woman chooses a guy, swaps fluids, the she and her family raise the kid, and pops goes on his way, helping to raise his families kids. Here, we call that Hillbilly, over there its a milenia old standard.

Or, look at me. I have a family, I've got a child and a woman whom I often refer to as my wife. But, we're not married, and I dont feel any particular rush to get the state and church to sign off on our family, we dont need their permission. We love eachother and we're only a winning lotto ticket away from perfect. But, why do I call her my wife? We're not married, but thats is the role she has in my life. Girlfreind or Baby's mama dont protray nor do respect to what she is to me, so I go with the word that everyone else uses.

So, even when our choices take us outside the normal paradigm of those in our surroundings, we still find it simpler and easier to roll with it a bit, even if its simple dialect.

 

Teh veiw of kids as a burden and a liability comes from on simple problem; Fun. I know I sound like the antagonist of a Dr. Suess book, but hear me out.

It's not just fun, but rather the importance of fun in contemporary siciety. How important fun is to you is inversly proportionate to the care you will have for your kids. You can also link the importance of fun with the rising divorce rate. People make alot of impulsive descisions, they seek a mate that is what they want, and not neccesarily what they need. Example: In da club. You see a ten, fuckin ten! She moves in a way that grabs your attion and wont let it go. She looks like fun, she turns you on. You luck out, you make a move and she's yours, skeet skeet skeet. Now, the choose your own adventure book can go a couple ways:

A: She's got a personality you cant stand, but you knocked her up. No hope of tolerating a relationship, but you're a papa, and that costs money. The kid is a burden.

B: You get to know eachother and find out you have alot in common, fun things in common. You love clubbing, you love drinkin, she gets a kick out of a saturday night street racing, you dont mind her affinity for shopping. You're both great together, pow, you get married. Things are good at first, you do the same stuff, plus a ring on your hand and different taxes. But you're with eachother all the time now, you spend time together that doesn't involve fun, this is where you're more fundemental differences come to shine. But you two still have a great time together when you go out, so all is good enough...You have a kid. Suddenly all that other stuff, the fun stuff, the garnish of life is out. You can go to the club as a couple, some one has to watcht he kid..and resent the other for leaving. Everything that you thought made you a great couple is gone. You're left with the quiet at home stuff, the ideosincrasies that piss eachother off. Add to that the stress of parenthood and the increasing need to stay on budget, no more impulsive shopping, similac takes president over N2o refils. Then you find yourself as part of the 50%+ divorce statistic, and god knows how that will effect the kid. You two cant stand eachother, so theres a custody dispute. If the kid is very young, it's most likely the parent that get it will rase it, since there wasn't much bonding.

Point: Base you choices in mate on more then what TV and advertising has told you was important, fun and fuckin'.

[98fiveseven1647545503]

I think it could relate to ones sense of caring, more or less wanting to be cared for. Which comes in many forms: Friends, Family, Significant Other and so on and so fourth. If we didn't want to be cared for we would do our own thing with out regard to others approval. We all want to be cared for in some since of the word. From some one to start and build a family, or life long friends, we need to be cared for. That is just a point of view I thought id toss out there.