Tactics of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat
stumper
Tactics uysed by some members of alt.atheism appears to be rather like
those of the dictatorship of the proletariat. To silence opposition in
their newsgroup, they resort to all kinds of group action.
First, they gang up on an individual. After some time, their rethoric
naturally becomes more hostile than it would have been by just one
member. This group action is the key to their identity. They don't
even agree on the fine points of atheism. But, by this aggression
toward an "intruder" they unite and sadly adopt mob psychology.
Second, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo_court They know, if
they look into themselves too carefully, they would find some ugly
truths about themselves. So, they always try to define themselves as
against something instead of for something positive.
Third, they seem to think ends justify means. Ordinarily atheism is
related to open-mindedness and reasonableness. But, if their cohesion
is threatened and they become afraid of losing any arguments, they
resort to the all kinds of extraordinary means. Character
assacination, abuse of Usenet moderation process, even threat of
physical violence, etc.
This will be completely rewritten after I read
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Denial_of_Death.
Cf. http://writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/overstreet-what-we-must-know.html
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