Herd Mentality

[Deidre32]

But herds have different dynamics. The trick is to find one that aligns with you.
Like Ferris Bueller: The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wastoids, dweebies, dickheads; they all adored him. They thought he was a righteous dude.

Or just do your own thing and treat everyone as individuals.

[Mike Cl]

I had a job that I really liked one time with 7 colleagues that constituted the main herd.  I didn't fit in with that herd.  I ran with a different herd.  It probably cost me some office politics points too.  I really wished I was part of the main herd, but I recognized I had better friends in other places.  But I still liked the job.  It was bitter-sweet.  I've had many jobs, where the main herd was of no interest to me at all.  I think I'm a natural outsider.  If I were a wolf, I'd probably be run out of the pack.  Oh wait, look at my avatar.  I am a wolf.  Oh my!

Oh yes--office politics.  I hate, hate, hate that shit!  And that has caused problems for me at various times.  Hated it in grade school, HS, college (was asked to join a couple of frats, but I quickly learned that frat politics is horrid) and especially the Army.  In the Army I was a Military Intelligence Special Agent (whoa--what a title) and had to interview people who knew those applying for a Top Secret clearance;  that was fun!  I mean, driving around talking to people everywhere from field workers to generals and ceo's really was interesting.  Much better than carrying a rifle and killing people.  But, since the Army's job really is killing people, I would do that one day if I stayed in--or learn the game of office politics at a much higher level;  didn't want to do that , so I did not reup.  When I became a teacher office politics was still around; they just don't have a college class covering it.  Somehow I learned that there would be less of it if I got into the new field (it was then) of what CA called 'continuation schools'--schools for the misfits, more or less.  Just down my alley.  And there was even less in the field of Juvenile Hall education--there was some, but I could deal with it.  Hate office politics.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Worked in an office twice in my life, once as copy editor in department store print advertising which is akin to being forced to read out of town phone books everyday and shampoo instructions and then in phone sales which is a cross between TV anchor and lying sack of shit and there isn't much difference..  I've never owned a suit and tie since and more or less perfected my own brand of telling people to fuck off.. I went to self employment and probably should have paid taxes, but got away pretending to never make a profit long enough till my heart and legs gave out. Avoid the politics of ass kissing like the plague and poverty still beats getting shit on your lips.

[Deidre32]

I'm glad I'm not alone in my sentiments. I've noticed a few of my friends, online and off...run off with different herds and it's sad because they used to be such amazingly unique people. But, they will learn the hard way that the herd is fickle and will turn on you, at a moment's notice. I've seen that happen too often to name. :(

[Solitary]

I will not be a lemming! Only individuals have done great things to benefit mankind. Groups of people have always done much to destroy people and things through following a leader or authority. What happens to anyone that tries to be an individual in a group, with their own opinions---even here at this site? Appeal to the masses, band wagon fallacy and name calling.      Solitary

[stromboli]

Never cared for office politics either,and was definitely a victim of it. A good friend of mine at my last job, a single female, called me after I retired all in tears and wanted to talk to me, because she didn't have anyone else she trusted; she had two sons like me, and I helped her move with my truck when she bought a house, so we were fairly close.

She was victimized by office politics. She was a 2nd Class Navy reserve petty officer, a real tough chick, but was being harassed by people because of her standoffish ways. She broke down and cried to me about the harassment, really stupid shit that two people I knew (and hated) were targeting her for. I have always been able to face people down so they left me alone, but I saw others really treated badly. I can't tell you how glad I was to walk out of there.

[Deidre32]

That's such a shame, Stromboli. That's herd mentality gone illegal. Some herd leaders should be fired and there is justice at times. The herd doesn't always come out on top.

I'm sitting here at work, it's lunch time and I'm reading through this thread thinking about the herds who have hurt me. I'm a rather non confrontational person on average so I tend to just avoid. I may try to gain friendship with the herd but once I see that I need to walk to the beat of their drum as a requirement? Meh, no thanks.

I'm a herd of one and that suits me. :-) And my circle of about ten close real life friends are just amazing. And they loathe herd mentality (what we are discussing here) as well.

[Deidre32]

Just to add...I'm thinking back to a site I went on a few years ago, unrelated to atheism. There were the occasional bullies but everyone got along and didn't make anyone feel uncomfortable. Well, I left and went back a few weeks ago, not to post just reading and wow, almost the whole site is riddled with bullies and the ass kissers of the bullies. I'm glad I left! I was like why would people bother posting on such a hostile site? It seriously was that bad...bullies and their groupies. That was it. Lol

[SGOS]

Just to add...I'm thinking back to a site I went on a few years ago, unrelated to atheism. There were the occasional bullies but everyone got along and didn't make anyone feel uncomfortable. Well, I left and went back a few weeks ago, not to post just reading and wow, almost the whole site is riddled with bullies and the ass kissers of the bullies. I'm glad I left! I was like why would people bother posting on such a hostile site? It seriously was that bad...bullies and their groupies. That was it. Lol

Yes herd dynamics change.  The one I mentioned where I didn't fit in, changed after I left, and I almost wished I hadn't left.  A few people can leave, and the dynamics change dramatically.  On the other hand, early in my career, I walked into a situation where few people could survive.  I toughed it out for several years, until two people left, and suddenly, I was working in a dream environment that lasted for years.  Then a few more people left, and the politics changed again.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Everyone likes to think they have the perfect idea of what the herd ought to be like or the family structure ought to be like or even the laws of society ought to be like. It's seldom you'll hear anyone say, "You know what? All of my ideas about our society suck and everyone else's is better." It's usually the other way around. Everyone thinks their ideas are always better and most people believe they're smarter than everyone else walking down the street. Most people think they drive better than anyone else in traffic and their eating habits are better than everyone and their taste in music and movies is THE BOMB.. everyone else's tastes sucks.. 
Well, folks.. we can't all be right.. I know that hurts to hear, but every now and then I come to the realization I'm really not the single greatest human being to ever walk the face of the earth, but I am the single greatest human being in history who has ever lived my life. I'm also the worse and the most average.

[GSOgymrat]

I follow the herd when it is my best interest to do so. I'm not the rebellious type because I'm extremely introverted and exist in my own introspective reality. If told to stay in line I am perfectly content to do so because I have no investment in being in line or being out of line and if being in line will stop you from talking and distracting me from my own thoughts I'm happy to do so. I come off as very agreeable because most of the time because I don't really care about what is going on with the group, until it is something that directly affects me and then I will do whatever I want.

[SGOS]

I follow the herd when it is my best interest to do so. I'm not the rebellious type because I'm extremely introverted and exist in my own introspective reality. If told to stay in line I am perfectly content to do so because I have no investment in being in line or being out of line and if being in line will stop you from talking and distracting me from my own thoughts I'm happy to do so. I come off as very agreeable because most of the time because I don't really care about what is going on with the group, until it is something that directly affects me and then I will do whatever I want.

Congratulations.  Seriously.  I've often wished I could do that, but I've got this stubborn independent streak, and sometimes it just asserts itself.  When people bring up the argument about there not being free will, this is a close as I can relate.  I know what to do to get ahead, but there is this strong compulsion to assert myself, and much of the time, it's not what the herd wants.

[Mike Cl]

I follow the herd when it is my best interest to do so. I'm not the rebellious type because I'm extremely introverted and exist in my own introspective reality. If told to stay in line I am perfectly content to do so because I have no investment in being in line or being out of line and if being in line will stop you from talking and distracting me from my own thoughts I'm happy to do so. I come off as very agreeable because most of the time because I don't really care about what is going on with the group, until it is something that directly affects me and then I will do whatever I want.

Ah--a fellow traveler.  I will follow the path of least resistance if it will get you to leave me alone.  But I have a streak of SGOS in me that, at times, makes me want to go against the grain.  So, the last several years at work, I would agree with everybody--including my bosses.  They would tell me to do something, even if I knew it would not work or not produce the desired results, I would agree with them.  But keep on doing what I was doing but calling it the term or terms they used.  So, my boss would say--you need to to black in your class; I'd agree.  But I'd keep doing white, but call it black, because I knew that black would not work.  That got me through each and every time.  I wish I had discovered that ploy long ago. :))

As I've gotten older, I speak out much more often since I've discoverd that I don't really give a rat's ass what you reaction will be.  What is important to me is what is going on in my own head--not yours.

[GSOgymrat]

So, the last several years at work, I would agree with everybody--including my bosses.  They would tell me to do something, even if I knew it would not work or not produce the desired results, I would agree with them.  But keep on doing what I was doing but calling it the term or terms they used.  So, my boss would say--you need to to black in your class; I'd agree.  But I'd keep doing white, but call it black, because I knew that black would not work.  That got me through each and every time.  I wish I had discovered that ploy long ago. :))

I do the same thing at work. Recently our medical director changed our process due to a complaint from a physician extender that she was overworked. The medical director's plan was very reactionary and, while well intentioned, would have created an even bigger, more serious problem. I'm not in management but after analyzing the situation and running through various solutions in my head I figured out a process that would address original complaint without creating more problems. I did my process and figured if the medical director said anything I would just say I thought that is what she wanted. So far everyone is happy. I didn't do this to be oppositional but because I didn't want the hassle of waiting for her plan to fail and then having to sit through another meeting to fix it.

[stromboli]

I do the same thing at work. Recently our medical director changed our process due to a complaint from a physician extender that she was overworked. The medical director's plan was very reactionary and, while well intentioned, would have created an even bigger, more serious problem. I'm not in management but after analyzing the situation and running through various solutions in my head I figured out a process that would address original complaint without creating more problems. I did my process and figured if the medical director said anything I would just say I thought that is what she wanted. So far everyone is happy. I didn't do this to be oppositional but because I didn't want the hassle of waiting for her plan to fail and then having to sit through another meeting to fix it.

Yes, definitely. I did that a few times. My last boss knew me from where we had worked previously, which is why I became the assistant facility manager. I probably saved them thousands fixing shit anyone else would have called a technician for because I have enough mechanical skills to diagnose problems. I fixed several problems as a Technical Editor by doing the unheard of, ignoring the chain of command and going directly to the specialist and asking him for the answer. I didn't care, I was too close to retirement.