The Mob Mentality: A Call for Compassion in a Divided World
Navigating the Challenges of Groupthink and Online Hatred
When did we all become so hateful, full of hate? When did we shift from thoughtful, respectful disagreements to excitement about putting down anyone we dislike or disagree with?
Since we can respond so quickly with no adverse effect, we have become people who want to be the first to jump another, even without knowing what is right. We believe what we hear without examination. We have gotten involved in the spread of misinformation, half-formed opinions, and gossip, in other words, and have forgotten to stop and think about it before we react or act.
Seeking others’ approval is the “toast of the day.” We want their like, share, or comment. We want to be validated, even if it means joining the mob to destroy another.
How good it feels when everyone likes your post and your opinion, even without considering the impact of their words. It’s time for more impulse-driven, hurtful comments.
People oversimplify things. Everything is either complex or simple, with no middle ground or gray area remaining. We are in or out.
The internet loves this and feeds you exactly what you want to believe. The internet feeds you exactly what you want to think, reinforcing your hate and making you intolerant of another person’s perspective. It helps us refuse to face challenging ideas and think. We no longer question. If someone publishes it, it must be true. What would never have gained traction a few years ago goes to full-blown destruction today.
Take it out of context, stretch it, and weaponize it. These are the goals of today. Make truth what you want it to be. There is no need to dig deeper, question the statement, or go to the source—just jump on the mob bandwagon.
Feelings for others are gone. We can attack, judge, dismiss, and destroy without ever considering their circumstances or points of view. There is no need to hear both sides; just jump in the middle and join the hate.
You can be an expert on any topic in an instant. Get enough people to agree with you, and it will be true. Oversimply, use incorrect information; it doesn’t matter because no one will check to see if you are telling the truth, and obviously, no one will disagree. Disagreeing is asking to be destroyed.
Where did thinking go? What happened to verifying, examining, and considering what is being said and the spirit in which it is being said?
The mob mentality is alive and well in our society today. Join the pile-on, cancel the other person, condemn and convict without a trial. Our fear of being the next one destroyed leads us to participate or at least allow the attack to continue.
Forgiveness is out the door. Past mistakes are today’s weapons of destruction. Add them all up, and you get a pile of nuclear weapons. There is no defense, and no one will even discuss it. We choose to forget or evict forgiveness from our hearts. Bitterness rules in our hate-filled world.
We are constantly being watched and judged. Accepting what is acceptable is necessary. We must go with the flow. Refuse any information that might change your mind. Do not hear both sides of the story.
Isn’t it time to?
Think before acting and reacting.
Try to find out the other side
Trust but verify the information
Treat others like you want to be treated
Remember, they are real people
Forgive
Value truth over the mob, the tribe,
We can change. We can decide that the crowd will not determine the truth for us.
Quotes
"Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it." Martin Luther King Jr.
"Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet." Maya Angelou
"Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat."
Harry Emerson Fosdick
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." Plato
"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." Albert Einstein