Freeman-on-the-land idiocies

[BigMoaner]

What drives them..?

validation? if others believe this shite, it might mean that i am not mad?

 

[A380]

Its not that - Most of the FOTLers I've encountered have been people with a range of very obvious problems/issues, often trying to make sense of or at least assert a level of control over bigger/more confusing set of life-situations than they could otherwise cope with. However, it's the mindset and motivations of the people who are preying on them by encouraging/dragging them down this route.

What drives them..?

You could make the same point, with equal validity, about almost all the far right foot soldiers out in the uk. But I doubt many people would reach a similar conclusion.

 

[8ball]

One step up from a child coming out with the classic "I didn't ask to be born" when asked to do something.

One step down.

 

[BigMoaner]

One step down.

yeh was thinking that - that's always been an interesting concept philosophically - the fact we are all born outside of our own wills

 

[existentialist]

Its not that - Most of the FOTLers I've encountered have been people with a range of very obvious problems/issues, often trying to make sense of or at least assert a level of control over bigger/more confusing set of life-situations than they could otherwise cope with. However, it's the mindset and motivations of the people who are preying on them by encouraging/dragging them down this route.

What drives them..?

Power and control.

 

[pogofish]

You could make the same point, with equal validity, about almost all the far right foot soldiers out in the uk. But I doubt many people would reach a similar conclusion.

Indeed - to my eyes there is a lot of intersection between the various "lunatic" positions and the far right just now. Is that by accident or design?

 

[NoXion]

Power and control.

Their lack of it, right?

Also money. The last few posts I've been talking about this phenomenon with regards to the ordinary marks, but there are also the people who get paid by making it their "job" to promote this kind of bullshit by being the worst kind of "content" creator. Shaking down their audiences donations. I've also heard of them offering their "services" in the form of advice, like a kind of ersatz-lawyer. I reckon anyone who's been pushing this stuff long-term is in on a serious grift.

 

[8ball]

Indeed - to my eyes there is a lot of intersection between the various "lunatic" positions and the far right just now.

Raises the question of what the left can do to reclaim its rightful share of lunatics.

 

[BigMoaner]

Indeed - to my eyes there is a lot of intersection between the various "lunatic" positions and the far right just now.

The left are now seen as the hard thinking rational types. I think we have won that ground. What can they throw at us? You're a blue haired swj! School shooter, qanon, covid denial, etc the list goes on and on. It's all a Distorted reality tho reflected back to us by social media. I actually don't want the right to be such lunatics. Don't want anyone to be.

 

[Storm Fox]

The left are now seen as the hard thinking rational types. I think we have won that ground. What can they throw at us?

Anti-intellectualism
Being Experts
Indoctrinating children (with godless facts)
Woke
Etc etc

 

[8ball]

The left are now seen as the hard thinking rational types. I think we have won that ground.

This is really not the case imo.

 

[Idaho]

Lots of interesting points. I think political reflexes are behavioural and irrational. Even if there is also a rationalisation we retrofit as needed. All types of successful politicians and successful/partially successful politics relies on these behavioural responses. The behaviours and the rationalisation intersect in various ways. Fear of loss/loss aversion can trigger social and antisocial action.

I'm sure this view has a name and a 200 year history of learned folk rejecting it, but I'm not well read on the historiography of political thought.

 

[8ball]

Fear of loss/loss aversion can trigger social and antisocial action.

Some scientists have looked into brain differences in people of varying political persuasions.
I'm not terribly convinced by most of what I've read.

One study of higher quality found that right-wingers had a larger amygdala on average (old part of the brain involved in recognising and responding to threats).

 

[Poot]

Like most things, I think it's driven by anxiety. A fear of loss of control. I'm not a psychiatrist but that's what I'm noticing. Like pogofish says.

 

[8ball]

Like most things, I think it's driven by anxiety. A fear of loss of control. I'm not a psychiatrist but that's what I'm noticing. Like pogofish says.

This is the theory with the amygdala thing, though it is explained in terms of encouraging 'system justification', which is very different to FOTLer behaviour.
I find more and more left-wing behaviour and ideas to be seemingly fear-driven these days, though.

Maybe the left is just evolving in the direction of absorbing more large-amygdala types.

 

[two sheds]

I find more and more left-wing behaviour and ideas to be seemingly fear-driven these days, though.

In which way?

 

[BigMoaner]

.

 

[BigMoaner]

The algorithms keep giving me endless FotL and flat earth debunkers. I'm finding it depressing. I'm not sure that the debunking works and wonder if it just entrenches the nonsense.

It's also a shame that FotL dominates the political space that should and could have a lot of interesting discussions about individual liberty, law, etc.

Imagine what it's like if you DO want them. Across multiple feeds.

 

[BigMoaner]

Guys, if you do one thing this year, give the works of Byung Chal Han a go.

 

[Idaho]

Guys, if you do one thing this year, give the works of Byung Chal Han a go.

I might if you give some basic context or introduction

 

[Poot]

Sorry to offload again, but 'my' fotler has really stayed with me.

I have it on good authority (I've had to do my due dilligence, so you'll have to trust me on this. I have to gather information to protect my guys and get a case together for the police so that they'll be there if I need them. I mean, they definitely won't - they weren't last time - but when a gun is pulled at least I can say I told you so) that he has psychopathic tendencies. I don't know whether this is widespread with fotlers, he certainly seems to tick every box - superficial charm, parasitic lifestyle, no thought for others, known to the police, manipulation, no respect for social norms. And of course that 'drained' feeling that you get after encountering him.

He is in turn being manipulated by someone with some sort of personality disorder by the looks of things. Being told what he wants to hear I suppose.

It's a long thread and this may have been brought up before. But yeah, if you're willing to grasp fotling with that amount of gusto and you don't care how mad you sound (I mean, he sent me some emails last week that made actual zero sense about black meaning dead and human meaning monster and God knows what else but there was some pseudo religious nonsense in there, too) psychopathic tendencies are probably your friends.

So yeah, it would be hilarious except it's sort of not. Dealing with someone who has no empathy and wants to hurt you is scary. I was awake last night wondering whether he could work out where I lived.

 

[cupid_stunt]

That's a terrible position to be in, Poot, my thoughts are with you.

 

[Poot]

That's a terrible position to be in, Poot, my thoughts are with you.

Thanks CP. I let him get into my head a lot more than I should have done. I have the luxury of knowing that it's not really important, he means nothing to me, and I know that you don't have that right now, so thank you for your thoughts.

 

[kenny g]

I was awake last night wondering whether he could work out where I lived.

Maybe worthwhile working out a defence plan. Powder fire extinguisher next to the bed/ bedroom door. Crate of bottles to hand on top of the stairs. Anything to distract and slow down any assailant. Even bags of flour can work.
Phone close to hand.

 

[Poot]

Maybe worthwhile working out a defence plan. Powder fire extinguisher next to the bed/ bedroom door. Crate of bottles to hand on top of the stairs. Anything to distract and slow down any assailant. Even bags of flour can work.
Phone close to hand.

At about 1am I realised he definitely had no way of knowing where I live and I need to chill the fuck out. I'm going with that.

 

[kenny g]

At about 1am I realised he definitely had no way of knowing where I live and I need to chill the fuck out. I'm going with that.

Good to hear. I used to find it helped me get back to sleep if I became worried about "bad actors".

Would then get worried I might take a wrong turning on the way to the bog and wake the house with a cacophony of broken bottles and clouds of flour...

Touch wood life is now more relaxed

 

[pinkmonkey]

I’ve been threatened by a fotler. I don’t want to identify him but I had to ban him from a fb group I admin. He’s a relentless piss taker and as far as he’s concerned his needs are more important than anyone elses. He’s so entitled. His sob stories have been in the national press and folks fell for it. But that wasn’t enough, he still thinks he’s entitled to more money.
Thought he’d gone away but recently he added me to his private chat group so I blocked him.

 

[tim]

Some scientists have looked into brain differences in people of varying political persuasions.
I'm not terribly convinced by most of what I've read.

One study of higher quality found that right-wingers had a larger amygdala on average (old part of the brain involved in recognising and responding to threats).

If you're not terribly convinced why post?

Personally, I am pretty convinced that those who go on about the influence of the ancient reptilian amygdala are travelling on the Bonkerwoo Line heading for Ikeden Junction.

 

[kenny g]

If you're not terribly convinced why post?

That's one hell of a bar you're setting.

 

[A380]

If you're not terribly convinced why post?

...

You really don't get this place do you...