Why do many folks play follow the leader even into adulthood? - eviltoast

By this I mean, organize around some single person for leadership, or in other contexts focus on a popular figure. Even societies that tend to be described as more collectively-organized/oriented tend to do this.

People are people and are as flawed as one another, so this pervasive tendency to elevate others is odd to me. It can be fun and goofy as a game, but as a more serious organizing or focal principle, it just seems extremely fragile and prone to failure (e.g. numerous groups falling into disarray at the loss of a leader/leader & their family, corruption via nepotism and the like, etc.).

  • pg_sax_i_frage@lemmy.wtf
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    Just to add to this: there is, although seeing it thuroughly implemented is comparatively uncommon, there are the practices of ‘democratic education’ and ‘self directed education’. The sudbury valley school in massechusets is one, relatively well known, example of thiese.

    In those context, the trends are, in many ways, turned on their head. They, sudbury valles school as an example, havee a website, and a a youtube channel(, accesible vía That froendly alternative frontend that I can’t rember just now) , with intervies with some alumni of the school, and some published books listed with accounts from other svs graduates.

    Just wanted to add, that the phenomenon described with in the comment replied to, although all too common, are not universal., nor always are they the only option.

    edit: this page gives n OK overview of the self directed edu things : https://www.self-directed.org/sde . Pretty sure it can be seen as related to the question and the above reply.

    edit:spelling and grammar.

    • centof@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      Just wanted to add, that the phenomenon described with in the comment replied to, although all too common, are not universal., nor always are they the only option.

      Great point. The link provided looks interesting, I’ll take a look at it.

      Side Note: The spelling mistakes in the first and second paragraph kinda detract from your message about different ways of organizing education. It is pretty ironic to have a post with multiple misspellings recommend a different way of education.

      • pg_sax_i_frage@lemmy.wtf
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        1 year ago

        In my defence, I’m new to this keyboard and have big fingers. Also, although I know aof it’s existence, I haven’t attended any sde I schools myself.

        My formal language education Is all quite conventional, with conventional leadership structures and decision making processes, and all. So please don’t let that detract from the subjects mentioned.(i really should remember to check spelling, before posting, though 😅)

        Anyway, I’m glad that sde style alternatives, and how they relate to the question, may be of intrest.

        • centof@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          1 year ago

          Yeah, I usually try to avoid correcting people, but I didn’t want any misspellings giving any future viewers a bad first impression of the linked educational resource.

          Mine too. As far as spellchecking, I use a front-end(Alexandrite) for Lemmy that spellchecks.However, I get that a lot of people use a mobile interface that makes it easier to miss such things.

          I have found myself, recently, rediscovering how to make goals and plans after having them suppressed by the conventional school system for most of my life. That fits with the deschooling term that is used on the linked resource. According to [self-directed.org] (https://www.self-directed.org/sde/conditions/) “In Self-Directed Education communities, young people are sharing an environment with adults who are deschooling alongside them”