steve on Nostr: “The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements” by Eric Hoffer & ...
“The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements” by Eric Hoffer &
“Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland” by Christopher R. Browning
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What can drive ordinary people to do unthinkable things? These two authors approach this question from different angles. Hoffer, a self-taught philosopher and longshoreman by trade, characterizes the nature of mass movements from a theoretical perspective. He specifically highlights the psychology of vulnerability that draws people to and binds them within mass movements. According to him, the combination of perceived insecurity and hope for a better future are required for any would-be fanatic’s indoctrination into a movement. Hoffer spends a significant amount of time discussing the psychology of poverty in all its nuances, but stops short of offering any case studies. That said, his theoretical grounding is a compelling foundation for any study of the subject. Browning, a historian at UNC Chapel Hill, wrote “Ordinary Men” after meticulous research on a Nazi-controlled police battalion during WWII. PB 101 was comprised of notably unremarkable, average, middle-aged men with no history of violence or genocidal tendencies. Despite their relative normalcy, the men of PB 101 committed heinous atrocities during the holocaust and murdered thousands of Polish and Russian Jews. The combination of these two works show that it doesn’t take a genetic predisposition or particular upbringing to commit heinous crimes… everyone is susceptible to societal pressures when the environment condones such behavior. These books also show the subjectivity of morality—the difference between right and wrong may not be as clear as we idealize in the moment. These books are a compelling read that holds validity for today’s mass movements and polarized political environment. ✊
“Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland” by Christopher R. Browning
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What can drive ordinary people to do unthinkable things? These two authors approach this question from different angles. Hoffer, a self-taught philosopher and longshoreman by trade, characterizes the nature of mass movements from a theoretical perspective. He specifically highlights the psychology of vulnerability that draws people to and binds them within mass movements. According to him, the combination of perceived insecurity and hope for a better future are required for any would-be fanatic’s indoctrination into a movement. Hoffer spends a significant amount of time discussing the psychology of poverty in all its nuances, but stops short of offering any case studies. That said, his theoretical grounding is a compelling foundation for any study of the subject. Browning, a historian at UNC Chapel Hill, wrote “Ordinary Men” after meticulous research on a Nazi-controlled police battalion during WWII. PB 101 was comprised of notably unremarkable, average, middle-aged men with no history of violence or genocidal tendencies. Despite their relative normalcy, the men of PB 101 committed heinous atrocities during the holocaust and murdered thousands of Polish and Russian Jews. The combination of these two works show that it doesn’t take a genetic predisposition or particular upbringing to commit heinous crimes… everyone is susceptible to societal pressures when the environment condones such behavior. These books also show the subjectivity of morality—the difference between right and wrong may not be as clear as we idealize in the moment. These books are a compelling read that holds validity for today’s mass movements and polarized political environment. ✊