talksaw.com - social & society opinions

For example, how innocent is to insist on someone and make him like spaghetti? What happens if he doesn’t like it? How many names do we call him if we are from Italy for example? Following that what drives people to fight over a political party? Or over the preference of a football team? And break their heads and faces?

Wikipedia says these as the categories of fanaticism. Yet are there only these?

1. Consumer fanaticism – the level of involvement or interest one has in the liking of a particular person, group, trend, artwork or idea.
2. Religious fanaticism – considered by some to be the most extreme form of religious fundamentalism.
3. Political, ideological fanaticism.
4. Ethnic, national, racial fanaticism.
5. Emotional fanaticism.
6. Leisure fanaticism – high levels of intensity, enthusiasm, commitment and zeal shown for a particular leisure activity.
7. Sports fanaticism – high levels of intensity surrounding sporting events. This is either done based on the belief that extreme fanaticism can alter games for one’s favorite team, or because the person uses sports activities as an ultra-masculine “proving ground” for brawls, as in the case of football hooliganism.

Why hooligans exist? Are we who do not go to a football game as hooligans, not hooligans? What triggers our anger and pride when someone “attacks” our feelings over something we have concluded or persuaded in life that “this is it”?

Here is a list of some famous “fights” or fanaticism examples. Sounds funny? Add World War II in these and some million people dead… Or add Kosovo/Serbia wars, or add Holy Crusades. How many of those examples exploited the need of people to drive their hatred outside of them and find outside of them reasons to blame for their faults. How many times didn’t we heard phrases like: The Christians did it, or the Muslims did it, or the Jews did it, or the Italians, Albanians, Gypsies, black, yellow, rednecks, and so forth…

So here is the small list. Feel free to comment with your own examples also.

1. Windows vs Apple.
2. Linux vs Windows.
3. Star Trek.
4. My [whatever] is better than yours. (Where phrase in brackets insert whatever comes in your mind).
5. Elvis Impersonators.
6. Orthodox vs Catholic. With various subcategories like: I am an Atheist. I am Believer. (OK, but do you really know?).

So, how objective and conscious we are when we take a stand on something? How objectivity is determined? Why do we have this need to be over enthusiastic with something and we are prepared to fight others for it? Where is tolerance and clear mind? How many times do we want to “burn on the stick” someone who is different than us even if he is wrong on his deeds.

No related posts.