So my latest observation is that people (whether they like it or not) fall into groups. Republicans, Lutherans, African Americans, Tri-Delts, goths, teachers, intellectuals, astronauts, lesbians, obese, anorexics, diabetics, smokers, gamblers, hippies, and so forth.
These groups have many benefits:
-ongoing support (generally), as long as you're a member of the group
-immediate identifying factor(s)
-sense of belonging
-networking
They also have downfalls:
-can lead to justifying unhealthy behaviors
-can impede personal growth
-can instantly exclude others not in the group
-group membership may incorrectly label people (both in & out of the group)
I've been noticing people lately, and I'm starting to see "repeats." People I thought were so unique in high school and college now have carbon copies. (As I'm sure the people *I* knew were themselves carbon copies.) There was the group in high school of pseudo-intellectuals who'd dress in funky, cheap clothes and wear conspicuous eyeglasses. They'd usually have unkempt hair and would quote Marx and Nietzsche as if it were a multiplication table. Driving home from work today, I saw a girl who looked EXACTLY like one of these aforementioned pseudo-intellectuals. This morning, I saw two others.
I notice trends among child and adult alike. A group of people 20-30 strong WILL get antsy after 45 minutes, no matter what the age range. There WILL be conflicts between people who have more similarities than differences.
Also, I've been watching the Fox reality show (I know, I know... I swear I don't usually watch Fox!!) "The Academy." It's about Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office recruits, and it's fascinating. I've read some discussion boards, and the opinions are varied... Some feel the sergeants are too tough on the recruits, others feel they're not tough enough.
I'm seeing, though, that in any given group (be it sheriff's deputy recruits or 10-year-olds), a group dynamic will form. There will be natural leaders, natural jackasses, those who will submit to authoritative figures, and so forth. What I've also noticed, however, is that the "jackass"es and seemingly indifferent people are usually the ones with the most to deal with. Something made the hard outer shell at some point.
I dunno... maybe I'm not really talking about anything here. Hard to tell sometimes. :)
I'm always interested in hearing your comments & thoughts, though. Send 'em my way, if you're so inclined. Peace.
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1 comment:
It's an awfully common thing, and you hinted on the pros and cons very well.
For me, my "group" is the Ardrey crew. We get along great--we never yell at each other at work, we always look out for each other, and we hang out all the time. It's a relationship with a lot of perks :)
The downside to this is that if someone joins the crew who doesn't fit in too well, then they more or less end up finding another job. The Ardrey crew never actively tries to butt people out, but if the newbies don't fit the profile of "active, willing to learn, and friendly," then we don't make a strong effort to adapt to them.
I don't suppose there was any particular point to my example, other than to further your argument :)
BK
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