I'm listening to the Megan Phelps-Roper interview with JK Rowling
(Don't hit me)
https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vUlVOTUVEOTkxOTE2Mjc3OQ
@david_colquhoun So am I. I think as psychologist it is only natural to be interested why so many otherwise rational human being end up vilifying a person. It happens often, across domains, and therefore we should understand it (in the hopes of preventing it in the future).
@lakens @david_colquhoun
In my opinion there are more important questions, like, how to prevent harm that people like Rowling cause.
@plenartowicz @david_colquhoun I would even predict that if we quantify the actual harm caused, that group has caused massively more harm, to many more people. So, I guess it is all about priorities, but mine would clearly be on the side of the damage largely invisible people in mobs cause. But maybe that is because that is what I experience myself, and that is why I care more about it.
@plenartowicz @david_colquhoun I would also say that if you care about harm to specific groups, you would be massively more upset what certain government leaders have done. They cause massive harm. The fact that these mobs are upset about Rowling, and not those government leaders, tells you something about how irrational they are - or at least how weird their priorities in life are. It's worth studying.
@plenartowicz @david_colquhoun And you are not interested in preventing the harm that the people who attack famous people for no good reason cause? Have you seen the documentary about Meghan and Harry? Same thing. Many people attack highly visible individuals, often for no rational reason, of going way overboard. I think this tells us something about our society and what is wrong with it.