psychology

Cults, Conspiracy Theorists, and Connection

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Well now we have Sandy Hook Truthers, who believe some or all of the shooting was staged, many people involved were actors, and it’s all part of some elaborate scheme to create mild gun safety laws.  Some people have decided to go and harass one of the people who helped the kids out, a 69-year old man.

When I look at the Conspiracy Theorists, the hardcore sealed-in-their-heads types, and certainly in this case we’ve got an already noteable group, something comes to mind: they resemble a cult.

There’s the System that explains everything.  There’s the feeling special as you ‘get it.’  There’s convenient enemies to hate (like a 69-year old pet sitter).  You even get to feel persecuted as everyone is calling you out, often for being kind of a jerk.

Also, if you’re ethically challenged, you can play Cult Leader and make a mint off this stuff.  Just trapse through a book store and look at some of the “political” books.

A conspiracy theory is a cult that’s often decentralized, with a few Cult Leader types taking advantage of a larger miasma of fevered thought.

It’s also like a cult in that it attracts the disconnected – and disconnects people.  It’s easy for people looking for meaning to find it in conspiracy theories.  It’s also easy for those enmeshed in the world of paranoia and fear to become disconnected from others (those political arguments you had over the holidays? Take those, and turn them to 11).  Conspiracy theories build on and build distance.

This is why building and keeping the foundation of civilization and culture is important – and requires a place for people.  The connections, the reliable systems, the meaning, the support structures are important to both our survival as a civilization, but also as they keep people from getting disconnected, and thus being prey to cults and cultic thought.  Much as a cult disconnects people from their connections, cultic though like conspiracy theories (sort of do-it-yourself cuts) can be used to unmoor oneself.

Next time you observe conspiracy theories gone gonzo, think of it as a decentralized cult.  It’ll make things clearer.

Also, remember the value of civilization, culture, and social connection.  It’s easier to appreciate when you see what happens when that falls apart.

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.fantopro.com/, nerd and geek culture at http://www.nerdcaliber.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.

Politics and The Psych Degree

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I got a degree in psychology back in college, looking for a science career, though I eventually went back to my first choice in computing.  Still, I don’t regret the degree at all (a psych degree is actually good as a minor or a complimentary degree for most anything), as it helps me get some great insights into human behavior.

One insight that comes to mind this holiday season is that Freud would have a field day with U.S. politics.

First, there’s the bizarre sexual issues, issues that indicate a kind of regressed or immature sexuality for so many people.  We’re actually to the point where rape being a bad thing is something people discuss as opposed to going “yeah, it’s bad.”  People are freaked out over contraception, something you think we’d be used to by now.

Secondly, there’s the daddy issues, and the press is really bad with this.  There’s the bizarre fawning over machismo which is often false machismo – and then just as soon as people show any machismo, there’s fear of angry daddy.  There’s an acceptance of adolescent posturing on war, and little thought on actual repercussions – I mean seriously, if there’s a war with Iran there will be impacts we have to cope with, whether a war is, was, or will be necessary.

Third, and related, there’s really little talk of long-term planning.  How do we get from A to B?  What of the repercussions?  What of sustainability?  What do we really want to do as opposed to say we’ll do.  Is this policy or that real long-term planning or a dodge?

Now I could have a Freudian field day with a lot of politics, but I suspect one of the big issues is that we don’t want to take a look at the pathological state of our own politics.  We don’t want to confront the immaturity, the parental issues, the regressed adolescent sexual issues, etc.  We know it’s there, but it seems we’re happier playing the games.

I’m not.  A lot of people aren’t.  Perhaps we need to get the media and politicians to catch on . . .

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.fantopro.com/, nerd and geek culture at http://www.nerdcaliber.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.

The Offensive Job Search

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Last week I talked about what I meant by going “on offense” in one’s career.  I thought I’d itemize my thoughts to give people ideas and directions.

By “Going on The Offensive” in your search I basically mean taking the initiative in a focused, planned way that involves activity before response.

So here’s Steve’s Quick Guide to Taking The Offensive as it were:

HAVE A GOAL: Have a goal for your life and career that you really want and hold onto it hard.  This gives you direction, inspiration, and guides you in repurposing events and opportunities.

HAVE A PLAN: Have a plan for reaching your goal.  You want an outline that you can act on.

MEASURE RESULTS: Measure your progress.  Turn things into numbers.  For instance, if you want to make money as an artist, keep track of money you make each month.

HAVE A NEXT STEP: Always know what your next step is and do it – even if the next step is “take a week off to rest.”  You should be able to, at any time, take one hour and move yourself forward.

HAVE AN EDUCATION PLAN: Train yourself.  Have a plan to train yourself.  Do it.

REPURPOSE: Ask how you can use your current job, experience, contacts, etc. to work towards your goals.

CHANGE AS NEEDED: Do adapt – but don’t give up too easily.  You’ll need to learn when to change and when not to.

ASSOCIATE WITH SUPPORTIVE PEOPLE: Friends, professional associations, what have you.  You need people that keep you going and that you go places with.

STAY UP ON NEWS: Stay up on news relevant to your goals and dreams so you stay inspired and informed.

Note that most of this is being active.  It may be a kind of martial-arts like waiting for activity or precise strike, but active it is.

That’s really the key to an Offensive Job search – actively pursuing things in the appropriate way and not giving up.

So how are you going to take things on the Offense?

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.fantopro.com/, nerd and geek culture at http://www.nerdcaliber.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.