11/13/2004
The Pack
Recently in a forum best left unnamed, I had the dubious distinction of being on the receiving end of the hue and cry of The Pack. I was discussing several things in various topics, when one person decided I had gone ‘too far’; I had dared to ask a question about a topic someone else had brought up. True, it wasn’t the most politely assembled sentence of my life, but they’ve seen far worse, both from me, and from others. Nor was this apparently egregious question above the level of genera acrimony in the forum at the time. This is not new, The Pack who assuredly consider themselves the Wolves of Righteousness but in reality are the Jackals Of Ignorance with several members still cutting their milk teeth on there first tastes of intelligence, has been around on this forum for years, the loudest voices change, but I’ve yet to see real leadership attacks any and everyone with the temerity to have and defend an opinion outside the group think consensus. To the credit of the all to few bi-peds who visit the same hunting grounds they either (futilely) attempt to shout down the whole mess, or keep their heads low until things blow over. This is however fairly normal, not necessarily excusable but normal, human behavior, the sad parts however are:
Am I upset? Only slightly, I’m more bemused, on a scale of one to ten of anger ten being berserker rage, and one being enough to take notice of, I’d say the whole affair left me about number three. The Pack presents a quite interesting anthropological study, heterogeneous membership, lacking in leadership, myopic, undisciplined, and without any discernable purpose beyond making a disparate group slightly less so by driving off all who fail to take up the pack cry or flee. Perhaps the most remarkable behavior of The Pack is their ability to turn anything into an insult to them. Overall, they are fascinating creatures, but given the fact that group think so reduces individual intelligence, and responsiveness to such outré things as logic, reason, or nuance not something one should get up close to unless they have a strong will, and are looking for pelts.
(Responses without an accurate email address or accurate blog address will be deleted unread.)
- 1. that even people who know better will still listen to and occasionally heed The Pack.
- 2. That otherwise sensible people will go baying right along with the pack. If this is protective coloring or simply getting caught up in the hysteria is anyone’s guess.
- 3. And that the pack will go not through not just the thread the action starts in but go back through other threads and decide in the most amazing of ex post facto styles that something said perhaps days ago is now offensive.
Am I upset? Only slightly, I’m more bemused, on a scale of one to ten of anger ten being berserker rage, and one being enough to take notice of, I’d say the whole affair left me about number three. The Pack presents a quite interesting anthropological study, heterogeneous membership, lacking in leadership, myopic, undisciplined, and without any discernable purpose beyond making a disparate group slightly less so by driving off all who fail to take up the pack cry or flee. Perhaps the most remarkable behavior of The Pack is their ability to turn anything into an insult to them. Overall, they are fascinating creatures, but given the fact that group think so reduces individual intelligence, and responsiveness to such outré things as logic, reason, or nuance not something one should get up close to unless they have a strong will, and are looking for pelts.
(Responses without an accurate email address or accurate blog address will be deleted unread.)
