--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@...> wrote: > > > I have been just throwing a few ideas out here, I have > > mostly not wanted to get into the current discussions... > > Wise man. :-) > > > ...but as the current ongoings have been so weird, I > > thought I would throw something into the ring. > > And interesting "things" they were, too, from my POV. > > I think it's healthy that you weighed in on just how *unhealthy* and > weird things have gotten around here. I also think it's healthy that you > linked the psychological diagnosis of Narcissistic Personality Disorder > with the more occult/spiritual diagnosis of "attention vampirism." I > also see the two phenomena as related, and see the weirdness you > perceive on FFL as the result. > > The way I see it, the Robbster got *hungry* up there in Toronto, and > needed some "new blood," in the form of attention. NPD individuals > literally *feed* on attention. > > So he tried first to get it at TM-Free, and they kinda laughed him off > the forum. Most there wisely perceived him as the very personification > of the cult thinking he railed against. So then he tried here, hoping to > find an "easier audience," one more gullible and less worldly, one that > would be taken in by his smooth line of regurgitated spiritual bullshit. > He succeeded. :-) > > Here on FFL he found a number of people who were 1) naive and unschooled > in the kinds of games that NPD personalities and wannabee cult leaders > play, 2) suckers for words, words, words, even if they don't make any > sense and even if they contradict themselves every other paragraph, 3) a > lot *like* him in that their whole world also revolved around playing > word games to assert their dominance and suck people into > "confrontations," nd 4) more than willing to *use* him as a tool with > which to bash the people *they* lived to bash. > > And as a result, he has to some extent accomplished his goal here. He's > gotten some people hooked on actually *reading* his drivel, as if it > were worth reading. THAT is on one level an accomplishment, and on > another the biggest condemnation of the TM mindset that has been > demonstrated on FFL in many years -- the incredibly Low Standards that > people have when it comes to dealing with spiritual B.S. > > I think it is important for those who have NOT been sucked into his game > to realize what its goal is, whether they see him as merely Just Another > Dweeb Suffering From Narcissistic Personality Disorder, or Just Another > Wannabee Spiritual Vampire. In either view, there is only one point to > the game he's playing: "Keep focusing on me. Keep talking about me. It > doesn't matter what you say as long as you say it. Even if you don't > interact with me, I'll pretend that you did, and attempt to 'reply' > while pretending you did." > > On one level, it's appropriate to have some compassion for him, to pity > him, and to wonder what on Earth could have *happened* to make him this > way. On another level, it is IMO appropriate to wonder the same things > about those who have been taken in by his act. At this point it's become > a kind of circle jerk -- a group pathology in which the players stroke > each other off (literally) while using their supposed back-slapping Jr. > High School superiority to bash other people who haven't joined them in > their folly. > > In a very real sense, Robin really *has* adopted the role of a teacher > here at FFL. He's been conducting a class in How To Be Narcissistically > Personality Disordered. And he's attracted a number of students who are > now aping his tactics, his florid language, his incredibly bad writing, > his tendency to "answer" things by posting YouTube videos and Other > People's Words, and most of all his inflated and unrealistic sense of > self-worth. > > While on one level it occasionally makes for entertaining "shake one's > head and roll one's eyes at the sheer idiocy of it all" reading, on > another level it's a pity, because the constant bickering and > confrontation mindset has all but driven away real intelligent > conversation about Things Spiritual. And that, after all, may have been > another aspect of the "goal," both for Robin and for the people who have > glommed onto him. NPD individuals only appear to be charismatic and > intelligent in the absence of true charisma and intelligence. So if they > could "dumb down" FFL and bring it down to their level, the way they > think that would make them appear smarter. > > The funny thing is that -- from my POV and that of many others here -- > Ravi's histrionic Subject line is actually apt, and describes what FFL > has become well. It's just that he gets the players and the instigators > of the hysteria, paranoia, and mayhem wrong. My bet is that there are a > lot of lurkers out there who haven't, and understand *who* started all > this craziness, and *why*. > > Just in closing, welcome to the DVotW Club yourself. It will take the > Robinettes a little while to light into you, because they'll have to > pretend its over some unrelated nitpick, not this post, but we'll know > what it's really about. You aligned yourself with reason and sanity and > against irrationality and craziness. You can almost hear them out there > thinking, "Son of a bitch must PAY for this...just wait...we'll get > him!" :-) :-) :-)
[Photo]
