Are people today too susceptible to group pressure?

Today? Pretty sure humans have always been susceptible to group pressure from even before pushing witches off cliffs to social justice stuff all over social media, or how about simply the good old 'no one I know likes this person / group so now I don't either', kind of how Nazi Germany happened?

We never learn and keep on doing it. I've straight up had people IRL tell me that Civilization games are terrorist training, and that Skyrim is too violent because they read somewhere that video games are how mass murderers are made.

Oh, even veganism is likely mostly due to 'boycott meat' and such group pressure. Then what about white BLM supporters attacking black Trump supporters and such stuff?

Not merely group but herd mentality.
 
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It seems to be the trend these days (for the last 15+ years) that everyone has to express an opinion.

It started when organisations online started making political statements. Now this eagerness as crept in to the media, with most articles opinion based, and gradually in to other bodies.

There was a reason neutrality was promoted in the past. Because we know how this is going to go if society continues down this path.

If this behaviour becomes normalised, like it nearly did with BLM, there is going to be trouble and civil disorder.
 
BowdonUK said:
It seems to be the trend these days (for the last 15+ years) that everyone has to express an opinion.

It started when organisations online started making political statements. Now this eagerness as crept in to the media, with most articles opinion based, and gradually in to other bodies.

There was a reason neutrality was promoted in the past. Because we know how this is going to go if society continues down this path.

If this behaviour becomes normalised, like it nearly did with BLM, there is going to be trouble and civil disorder.
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Have you been asleep for the last 50 years?

I think a lot of people here act like there was no problems before the BLM protests or something. Look up about the protests about the racist Mosly and the brown shirts in the 30s (?) or the miners protests. Read up about the working class protests marches from the north to the south. Have a look fo...

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/jan/01/richardnortontaylor2
A group of east London dockers and Smithfield porters who famously marched in support of Enoch Powell's anti-immigrant "rivers of blood" speech in 1968 were in fact organised by extreme rightwing activists, according to secret intelligence briefings to the prime minister.

An MI5 report to Harold Wilson four days after the Tory frontbencher's inflammatory Birmingham address said the supposedly spontaneous strike and demonstration by 500 workers from the East India dock was actually led by Harry Pearman, a supporter of the anti-communist fundamentalist group Moral Rearmament.

Pearman had been "at some pains to conceal his identity", MI5 noted, while a separate demonstration by 300 porters from London's Smithfield meat market in support of Powell - and against the Race Relations Bill - had been got up by a fascist, Dennis Harmston, who stood for Oswald Mosley's party in the 1966 general election.

The MI5 reports also described the anti-Powellite counter-campaign led by Jack Dash and other communist dockers' leaders. They were made as government ministers argued about whether Powell should be prosecuted for his speech, which referred to the "menace" of "charming wide-grinning piccaninnies".

They decided action would be unlikely to be successful under existing anti-racism legislation, while controversy raged in the cabinet over the then home secretary, Jim Callaghan's plans for a new anti-immigration law targeted against East African Asians with British passports.
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Over 50 years ago this racism **** was happening. Working class protests have been here for ever.

I think for a lot of people because they werent involved or affected they didnt notice that this stuff has been happening for 100s of years.
 
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The older I get, the more anarchism appeals to me. Pretty sure it's supposed to go the other way :D

I've realised that change is inevitable in society, and even when we have it pretty good people will still try to tear things apart to make themselves feel important. The only sensible response is to look after my own interests and try to be flexible to take advantage of whatever is happening (or at least not get screwed by it).
 
All humans do and continue to do is whatever appeases their peers. Gender transitioning is nowadays just a cool fad to get mad likes on twitter and 'Wow you are so brave' from everyone at school and work.

I have more respect for people the fewer the social ties they have now, ideally zero.
 
Tony Edwards said:
Have you been asleep for the last 50 years?

I think a lot of people here act like there was no problems before the BLM protests or something. Look up about the protests about the racist Mosly and the brown shirts in the 30s (?) or the miners protests. Read up about the working class protests marches from the north to the south. Have a look fo...

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/jan/01/richardnortontaylor2Over 50 years ago this racism **** was happening. Working class protests have been here for ever.

I think for a lot of people because they werent involved or affected they didnt notice that this stuff has been happening for 100s of years.
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I was talking about professional bodies, like the police, who I believe when you join the police they are supposed to ask about your political affiliations.

I'm not really sure why you're talking about racism in a reply to my post.

Do you think what this police woman did was right?
 
BowdonUK said:
I was talking about professional bodies, like the police, who I believe when you join the police they are supposed to ask about your political affiliations.

I'm not really sure why you're talking about racism in a reply to my post.

Do you think what this police woman did was right?
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Pretty sure the Nazis were a professional body, as were the people pushing witches off cliffs, ooooh did I forget hanging / stoning adulterers?
 
413x said:
I'm not one for band wagons. I care about a few things. But not much. I don't do the Facebook profile banners or anything like that.

Gf has said before... . Why don't you care more?

I kind Of just say that if I cared about everything my life would be full of stress. If I can't or won't change something I won't bother most of the time even thinking about it. It's not that I don't care. I just don't care enough to do anything.
I'd rather make a difference to 1 or 2 things I care about. Than worry about everything but all I do is put a Facebook banner up.

That said real activists are a good thing. They raise awareness and eventually things change. What I don't care for is people that only care enough to make a token gesture but look down on others who don't.
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I agree, no point worrying about what you can't change.

Good for you doing litter picking, it's actually my job so I see endless amount of it daily. and I despair of solving bigger issues if people can't even pick up after themselves.
 
BowdonUK said:
I was talking about professional bodies, like the police, who I believe when you join the police they are supposed to ask about your political affiliations.

I'm not really sure why you're talking about racism in a reply to my post.
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Because you mentioned BLM and Im just pointing out that racism has been protested about for decades and decades. Even by MPs before all this anti woke, culture war nonsense being thrusted at us by the right wing.

BowdonUK said:
Do you think what this police woman did was right?
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I dont particularly think it was wrong, as in its not something that bothers me. If she had been shouting death to Jews I might view it differently.

It might have felt right for her at the time just as some police thought it right to take a knee at the time. Lets see she might be palestinian? I prefer seeing police break rules by peacefully standing up for what they see as good causes rather than seeing police bashing people up during protests thats for sure, which I wouldnt be surprised to find a lot of the people complaining about her thought that was okay to do.

Its not the same as those police who dance or mingle with the Carnival crowd but then again Im sure most that are complaining about that police women are the same people that also complain about the police not bashing people at the carnival but looking like they are having fun.

How people can have a go at those that protest or speak out against bad things is beyond me.
 
413x said:
Yeah. She cares about too much. And it's counter productive. I do my litter picks and collect litter out in my kayak.
I like to say to her. If everyone made a little difference to one thing, it would be a lot more effective than everyone caring about a lot but doing nothing.

Imagine if everyone picked up one piece of litter. There would be none.
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You're right, people could make more effort on improving their own environment, rather than failing to improve that of others.

I pick up litter outside my house. I don't understand why anyone wouldn't do that. I (pre-covid) picked up rubbish in the local playground, too.

Me and the kids recently put some seeds in the abandoned planters in the local park recently. They know we're doing it just to make it look nicer- and for the satisfaction of seeing the result.

More productive than ranting on Facebook, too.
 
On the topic of what this policewoman did, or if anyone else did anything similar, all of British society today is constantly pushed to accept 'the religion of peace', and be nice / supportive towards its people, otherwise they are committing hate speech [religionname-phobia].

Now imagine how much anti racism training the police get, to the point that they ignored all those child molester gangs for such a long time due to the people involved being ethnic minorities.

Now take the average Brit in this situation wanting to work as a police officer, and having already being trained in all the equality and anti racism BS.

It would be completely natural for them to now blindly kneel for BLM or show support for Palestine, because that's literally what all their training taught them to do?
 
Tony Edwards said:
Because you mentioned BLM and Im just pointing out that racism has been protested about for decades and decades. Even by MPs before all this anti woke, culture war nonsense being thrusted at us by the right wing.
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I mentioned BLM because prior to this as it was the most recent example of the police joining in by taking the knee.

The cause can be anything.

Tony Edwards said:
I dont particularly think it was wrong, as in its not something that bothers me. If she had been shouting death to Jews I might view it differently.

It might have felt right for her at the time just as some police thought it right to take a knee at the time. Lets see she might be palestinian? I prefer seeing police break rules by peacefully standing up for what they see as good causes rather than seeing police bashing people up during protests thats for sure, which I wouldnt be surprised to find a lot of the people complaining about her thought that was okay to do.

Its not the same as those police who dance or mingle with the Carnival crowd but then again Im sure most that are complaining about that police women are the same people that also complain about the police not bashing people at the carnival but looking like they are having fun.

How people can have a go at those that protest or speak out against bad things is beyond me.
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But this is the whole problem with it. A principle is being set. If we allow professional bodies like the police or health workers as an example, to start expressing views, then what happens when they express views that are unpopular?

If you attended a protest and a police officer shouts "I don't like people named Tony!". Then they found out you were called Tony. Would you feel safe around that police officer?

It was only the other month a serving police officer was exposed as being part of National Action. What if another officer shouted his support for National Action during a nationalist rally? Or another shouts his support for Tommy Robinson by shouting "Tommy, Tommy, Tommy!".
 
BowdonUK said:
But this is the whole problem with it. A principle is being set. If we allow professional bodies like the police or health workers as an example, to start expressing views, then what happens when they express views that are unpopular?

If you attended a protest and a police officer shouts "I don't like people named Tony!". Then they found out you were called Tony. Would you feel safe around that police officer?

It was only the other month a serving police officer was exposed as being part of National Action. What if another officer shouted his support for National Action during a nationalist rally? Or another shouts his support for Tommy Robinson by shouting "Tommy, Tommy, Tommy!".
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Id like to say first off that I avoid anti-Tony protests for obvious reasons.

You bring up some good points but in my mind those arent really equal comparisons as I said earlier: I dont particularly think it was wrong, as in its not something that bothers me. If she had been shouting death to Jews I might view it differently.

It turns out that the officer in question is. Drum roll: Iranian.
 
Tom_ed1987 said:
There is definitely an increased pressure to be seen 'conforming' to whatever right-on message is currently on trend. Be that Metoo, BLM, #freePalestine or whatever.
Thinking back it wasn't always the case, for example back when plain old LGBT was a thing.
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Which is at odds of the oath and professional standards expected from the police.
 
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