unfathomable sheep-like behaviour in humans

I realise I am middle aged and I that grew up in a world in which only a minority of men had tattoos, and they were either sailors, builders or thugs. Then, around about 15 years ago, David Beckham, famous footballer, gets a tattoo—followed by a string of other footballers, so-called celebrities and media non-entities, all proclaiming they are expressing their 'individuality' or 'rebelling'. Soon afterwards every young man and woman has covered his or her body in them, all believing they too are expressing their individuality or rebelling. And yet, like lemmings advancing towards a cliff-edge, or sheep flocking with the herd across fields, they all look almost the same, that is apart from  having different amounts of these vulgar eyesores, or slightly different colourings to them, they all still look virtually the same (at least to me).

I see no individuality in these people. Or any spirit of rebellion. I can't understand this herd-mentality. What is it that makes people all try so desperately hard to copy one another in a bizarre attempt to appear different from one another. It doesn't make sense.  You would think to be different or rebel, you'd do the opposite to what everyone else is doing. And what is this craving to emulate celebrities or media personalities? Do they imagine they are better than they are—smarter, nicer, more charismatic? 

The unfathomable sheep-like behaviour aside, I can't understand what, apart from mental illness, what would drive a person to inflict such damage on their largest and most vital organ.  The very idea of deliberate mutilation horrifies me.

  • It's saddening that you continue to resort to cruel name-calling and personal attacks, which in themselves, especially on a forum such as this, are inappropriate.

    When you make sweeping personal attacks on a person's character and/or refer to them with de-humanising name-calling (benefiting, of course, from the security of total online anonymity), you are employing the same cowardly and malign behaviours employed by the very online racists and bullies you claim to oppose.

    I could embarrass you by posting your disrespectful message to me about Plastic who was a much loved and now deceased member of the forum,  but to do so, would risk his daughter and wife inadvertently reading it, and that may cause them unessacary pain—a risk that is not worth taking.

    (It's a puzzling message, which I still don't understand. It seems to suggest that you may have been around on the forum for longer than your recent posts suggest, or that you have found the thread of Plastic's passing, made a note of the members who have left messages of condolence to his family, and then begun to target them on the forum.)

    All in all, I suspect you may be deeply unhappy man with a lot of longstanding bitterness and deep-seated anger. I just hope that you realise that projecting hatred outwards to others, and hunting for imaginary dragons to slay, is only going to amplify your sadness, strengthen your resentment and result in more bitterness.

    Stay well.

  • Tattoos are okay to me if they're designed to look attractive, like a piece of art, but some of them look tribal and intimidating, which I don't like.

    What bothers me more is how almost everyone now walks around in sportswear and trainers. It frightens me.

  • I want to say that I also don't agree with racism. I'm not getting involved with your other comments but I am saddened that generally people everywhere are getting more racist and it's wrong.

  • You're quite willing to gaslight my mental health claiming only you are capable of authenticity and free thinking. 

    I know it's not true though.


    I suppose it's jarring for the racists on here that i oppose their views. And i'm proud of it.

    These are my views and you can't deny them agency by saying "i'm following someone else".

    Well you can but it's merely a process of deflection from your own moral failings.
     
    I actually respect ISPERG more than i do you.  At least i know where he stands and he believes what he says..

    You on the other hand make bitchy threads about me and then play the victim when i respond.
     







    One of the most cowardly and insidious creatures i've ever come across. Nt or ASD.

    I remain proud to be ASD. It allows me to think clearly.  And see people for what they truly are.

    Since you have "bravely" attempted to call me an NT. How about you? Autistic people are normally pretty direct. And we're usually pretty intelligent and and know how to debate.




  • Yes. I fear that the viruses are coming for us now. Covid was just the start and worse ones will arise, or some covid variant they can't control. Viruses are going to be the thing that kills the human race eventually unless we work out how to live better.

    Well said criticising the people who put their selfish social lives over controlling a virus. Let's hope they don't do that when worse viruses arise...

  • aye the more dense the population the more chance of some disease that will go out of control and wipe us all out. like covid.... covid wasnt really that bad, but it got this bad simply because of how dense our population is now.... both dense in population and dense in intelligence lol i guess dense in intelligence maybe more the uk given how people acted here and cried and whined all because they put their selfish social lives and nights out in pubs over control of a viral outbreak.

  • You make a good point that the more humans there are, the less each life is worth.

    I think that either, humans will keep breeding and we'll have to move half of them to a different planet e.g. Mars. Or there will be a huge catastrophe, either a meteor will hit Earth and wipe most of us out, or a fatal disease like the Black Death will arise and kill most of us. The Black Death killed about 70% of Europeans, I can see that happening again.

    So either humans will keep increasing or most will be killed in a mass event soon. I don't think the Earth can sustain us for much longer.

  • there are so many humans now that whatever anyone does millions of others have done too.
    the more humans we spawn the less each individual is worth due to less to go around, also due to more humans meaning less care if one dies compared to when we only had 1 mill pops a single life was worth more and death and loss of a single human was more harmful, with 8 billion humans we are individually worthless and our lives no longer have worth and our deaths will be shrugged off.

    we will get more humans in the future, this situation will become worse to the point individuality and single human worth will be a long dead idea as single humans will be insignificant infact millions of humans will be nothing in the future when we have trillions of humans. individuality will die more and more with each increase in population to the point individuality is no longer a thing and instead we will become more of a hive mind, of which we kinda already are as humanity does seem very hive minded now. we will evolve into something less human and more ant if we carry on and not a single one of our lives will matter, not even if billions died all at once wed be so many it wouldnt matter and wouldnt be a thing to even blink at.

    the future bears the death of the individual, and the rise of collectivism and hive minds.

  • It is certainly extremely lonely and tiring because I just get open mouthed stares when I speak most of the time. I have to start from the beginning every time I meet someone new and somehow persuade them I'm even human. lol. Especially in a small country village where everyone is interrelated *coughs* inbred.

    I enjoyed living in London more because there was such a vast variety of people but of course it was polluted and dangerous there. A mid size town would suit me I think.

  • I find this odd?

    Firstly, why does it distress you so much  what others are doing with their lives?

    Perhaps live and let live.

    Deliberate mutilation can come in varying forms. A lot of Autistic people s*lf h*rm. Maybe tattooing is a way to cope with that in a less hurtful way?

    Many NT people also SH, and tattoos could be a way to cope.

    I don't think it's a bad thing that people copy or imitate. It's a very human thing to do actually. I find it very sad that people can't just let people get on with it. 

    I, myself, am covered in tattoos. I have a few special interests and I have tattoos that represent them. They're things I want on my body. I also think they look nice on me, and that's okay. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I don't believe we need to have a running commentary on what you dislike about other people's appearances.

    Some of my tattoos are just random. And thats fine by me. I was once addicted to s*lf h*rm, so I think tattoos are a great way for me to feel something on my skin and end up pretty instead of scars everywhere. 

    Personally, I just think we should all be able to let one another do whatever we want as long as we aren't hurting anyone. And if it really distresses you that much, perhaps you should speak with a professional about these worries.

  • I have a little tattoo and it means a lot to me, it represents a meaningful time of my life and reminds me of that time, I didn't get it to be rebellious and I didn't get it for fashion reasons or to 'follow the crowd' as it were - I'm a young woman but I couldn't really be much less interested in fashion. Personally I'm glad that they're more socially acceptable now, although I totally understand why some people don't like them and see them as a tacky trend. Some tattoos do look a bit rank, but I like to think mine doesn't, and even if other people think mine's rank, I don't really care, I love my tattoo.

  • It's a vey lonely existence at times to walk to your own beat and not be swept up in the ephemeral winds of political fashion and culture, but  when you do connect with someone, it's a deeper connection because they are a person with integrity and authenticity rather than the usual cardboard cutouts that populate most of society. 

  • Yes, I think that was the issue they had. 

    A completely messed up immune response.

  • I did not use it long time, only a month, I was affraid about impact it has on immune system

  • yes, cream with cortikosteroids, and it looked like it's helping, after many other  creams that were making it worse, shedding skin again after using them.

  • Did you use steroids for it?

    I knew someone who tried all sorts of treatments. They eventually came off the steroids, which resulted in a huge flare up that took ages to get better.

    Haven't seen then in ages so I don't know if they ever got it sorted.

  • it took almost a year to heal it, and to avoid further damage, I couldn't do a lot of things, simple things like take shower for example, good I like hot tub more :P

  • That's good to hear.

    I've met a few people with the same. Just bending the fingers and the skin on the knuckles would split open. One had it all over his body... very debilitating.

  • I had almost all gone from both hands once, nasty bleeding egzema 14 years ago

    but no scarring, not a trace now