Steve Barker wrote:
HeyBub wrote:
Steve Barker wrote:
I've '****canned' as you say, thousands of straight fluorescent
tubes and i'd bet that before i'm over, i will have '****canned' a
few hundred CFL's. I can't believe someone or some group make such
a big deal out of this. DAMN, people, just live life, don't make
it an ordeal.

In his (small) book, "The True Beliver," which I encourage you to
read, Eric Hoffer observed: "People mind their own business when it
is worth minding. When it's not, they take their mind off their own
meaningless affairs by minding other people's business."

Though writtnen in 1950 or so, Hoffer's book explains mass movements
and the people who gravitate toward them. It has helped me
tremendously in understanding the motivations behind the agitators.

From Wikipedia:

"Hoffer argues that mass movements ... spread by promising a glorious
future. To be successful, these mass movements need the adherents to
be willing to sacrifice themselves and others for the future goals.
To do so, mass movements need to devalue both the past and the
present. Mass movements appeal to frustrated people who are
dissatisfied with their current state, but are capable of a strong
belief in the future. As well, mass movements appeal to people who
want to escape a flawed self by creating an imaginary self and
joining a collective whole. Some categories of people who may be
attracted to mass movements include poor people, misfits, and people
who feel thwarted in their endeavors."
sounds like an interesting read. I may check it out from the library.

It's a small book, but you can't read it quickly. Seemingly, after each
paragraph you have to put the book down, stroke your chin, and say to
yourself - "Yeah, that's right."

Examples:

"The membership in mass movements is interchangeable and over-lapping.
People join mass movements at random and then adopt the goals of the
movement."

"A mass movement can exist without a god, but it will always fail without a
devil. Mass movements must have something to hate."

"People join mass movements to escape individual responsibility. By
participating in a mass movement, they are no longer responsible for their
individual actions."