Reply #17: Very well said.

[ponthedge]

Thanks for the insight.

Could this be related to the ability to think critically and hold onto that trait whilst becoming part of a larger group?

For example, it seems that most people have a desire to be liked and part of a social contract. Critical thinking is usually required to gain acceptance and understanding within any group where said contract is sought. Once acceptance and approval has been garnered, critical thinking stops and the willingness to follow or accept the thoughts, action, consequences of the group prevents any further critical thinking from taking place. Should critical thinking occur and the outcome run contrary to the group id, the person is then formally dismissed and ridiculed, most often times on blogs as flame posting. Much backpedaling thus ensues and with hope the tarnished reputation is restored and the group gestalt is re-harmonized, perhaps, with a better understanding of the ultimate line of thought that produced the contrarian view.

Most group/societal gestalt, DU included, have multiple thinker/heads that formulate 75-85% of the popular thought. Comments are always welcomed, but contrarian thought is seldom looked upon kindly. However, group dynamics do change over time due to the inherent lack of total control required to maintain an unchanging group.

Whew...if the above does not makes sense to you (it barely does to me)...pass on it and in the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln...'Party On Dude!'...ok, so maybe that isn't an actual quote...but answer me this, were you there? ;-)

And thanks for letting me ramble on...:boring: