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Evergreen Dazed E
Evergreen Dazed Dec 4, 2012 15:01:41
Replying to Littlestone

Littlestone wrote:
Evergreen Dazed wrote:
But it is the curiosity that enabled them to continue.
We are curious, superstitious creatures, even now. You still remember Kevin because of the force of the point made. The extreme "I".
You can dismiss claims with your modern mind and education but the people of the neolithic, I would imagine, were more vulnerable to the extreme "I".
I would imagine people could rise in notoriety by simply insisting they were correct. Acting, in every way, as if they knew things that the majority didn't. Curiosity, superstition, fear.
It wasn’t curiosity at all – it was an attempt to stop them repeating themselves ad nauseam and wrecking thread after TMA thread. If anything they’re remembered for that, not for the ‘force’ of the points they were making.

Yes, individuals and belief systems have and do rise to notoriety (and infamy) by insisting they were/are correct. Fortunately, the historical long-game sees them fall just as quickly.

But Kevin, esp on the portal, wasn't talking to himself was he?
If you apply that type of single minded approach to a superstitious prehistoric society, I think it may produce results.

N nigelswift
nigelswift Dec 4, 2012 15:18:54
Replying to Evergreen Dazed

Evergreen Dazed wrote:
If you apply that type of single minded approach to a superstitious prehistoric society, I think it may produce results.
You need the X factor though. If you are already the boss it might work, if you're a much respected dead ancestor it might work and if you have an exceptional magnetic personality it might work. We have lots of modern examples of those three working. But if you just assert stuff, and particularly if you can't back it up and people can't see it for themselves, it wont work. We have plenty of modern examples of that too so I don't see why the same wouldn't apply back then, even if people WERE more superstitious.

L Littlestone
Littlestone Dec 4, 2012 16:12:31
Replying to Evergreen Dazed

Evergreen Dazed wrote:
But Kevin, esp on the portal, wasn't talking to himself was he?
If you apply that type of single minded approach to a superstitious prehistoric society, I think it may produce results.
Having only posted a couple of times on the Portal (in order to clarify that I wasn’t the troll who was posting there under my name) I wouldn’t know. I do know however that Kevin and Crowley ran out of steam on TMA and the Portal is where they ended up.

As for applying a single-minded approach to ‘produce results’ it’s hardly necessary to go back as far as the Neolithic – it can be seen in action again and again even within the lifetime of some of the contributors here. Such systems hardly need mentioning as they’ve already bitten the dust; others like North Korea and Syria are hanging on by their fingertips and there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that they’ll eventually go the way of the rest.

What does this tell us? Perhaps that, even with all its shortcomings, humanity steps slowly forward towards a kinder, freer and more enlightened future.