I don't know who you're talking to or what exactly you're referring to. If you read the article, phenomena is neither "faking it" nor is it "really Tourettes syndrome". IE, mass sociogenic illness is not "fake" but a result of humans being social organisms.
Edit: And no one in the discussion I can see is expressing unconcern.
But from the study it seems that it's not Tourettes either.
The Placebo Effect is very real as well, and people weren't faking being sick in the first place, it's just that we're not as 'consciously in charge' as we might think.
My armchair hunch that this is real phenom, and that we are much, much more impressionable than we imagine, and that so many of our attitudes, behaviours and ideas are grafted onto us as opposed to being choices we make.
As noted when doctor's diagnosed kids as 'not having Tourettes', for many, the symptoms just disappeared - as though a more rational authoritative voice overcame some 'inner constructed belief'.
I think this reaches into more than just behaviours, but all those complicated issues of 'identity' as well.
It's an amazing thing it would be very fun to study.
That's a really big deal.
A way bigger deal than a bunch of kids trying to get attention by faking whatever.
1. Videodrome
2. They Live
3. Pontypool (which heavily references SnowCrash, the book)
It would not surprise me if this becomes a concern this century (e.g., digital manipulation of the brain remotely).
Pontypool. Woo! What a crazy idea.
Bookwise, I recommend QNTM's "There is no Antimemetics Division" and Langford's BLIT.
Any time someone is pontificating about the sudden rapid downfall of society it should peg your BS meter. People are basically the same as they've always been. We do become familiar with the behaviours of some of those people to a much deeper degree now than we might have had the opportunity to do before.
It’s been… causing rifts in the family. I don’t know anything about anything, but statistics tell me something isn’t exactly lining up.
Clearly some are in a phase, but FFS don’t say that to the parents!
Seems a silly question to even ask such a thing.
But of course social justice is a great thing, but social justice WARRIOR isn't.