[Ansteorra] Re: Psychos and other Ogres
Beth Ellis
killian at awesomenet.net
Tue Nov 29 13:01:34 PST 2005
>
> "Playing the victim" is definitely a favorite tactic
> of troublemakers. It's amazing what kind of sympathy
> can be generated when someone whines about being
> persecuted. It draws people - especially newcomers -
> into instant "us vs. them" dramas.
What a great observation. I find it too mentally exhausting to try and
figure out all (or even some) of the reasons why people like to stir up this
type of trouble. All I know is that in all the many years I've been in the
SCA, the folks that seem to cause the most disruption do it for one main
reason - they take an unequivocal, black and white, "if you are not for me,
then you must be against me" stance. Usually it is a person who is trying
to secure a place of recognized authority/control in a group, or they just
want to manipulate people (in the latter case, playing the victim is often
the means of securing their goal). Often they are insecure, are desperate to
garner some public respect, and think the SCA is the place to get it since
it hasn't worked for them in the real world. They seem to have a problem
gaging the level to which the victim has disagreed with them (or caught them
out on something), and so any disagreement - no matter how inconsequential
it may actually be - is viewed as completely unacceptable, thereby creating
the "for or against" mindset.
There's not much you can do with these people, other than to hope that
eventually most people will see through them (and they usually do). It can
be a real rollercoaster ride until that happens though. Frankly, I've
gotten so tired of that sort of thing I just walk away and do my best to
keep people like that from intruding on my life. I've got better things to
do.
Corrinne
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