A couple of weeks ago, a member of Jack Napier’s channel posed a question to us on Red Evening. While the question was meant more in jest and in a fit of fun, the question had some merit to it.

It went something like this:

“When it comes to the ‘Lose All Hope Crew’ and the ‘We Need A Time Machine Guys,’ which one do you consider to be a bigger threat [to society and/or people in general]?

I vaguely recall answering the question and I think I might have been quick and a little glib. I believe I said that the ‘Time Machine Guys’ were the bigger threat.

For whatever reason, his question has stuck with me until now. I want to expand on it and give it a more proper answer.

The answer to the question of which group is the “bigger threat” is:

“It depends.”

It depends on what you are susceptible to. Where are your blind spots? What are your beliefs and aspirations?

For me the “bigger threat” is still the ‘Time Machine Guys.’ The reason for that is because I grew up with them. Your society, your peer groups, and your culture at large all play a part in what you are susceptible to. For me it was the traditional conservative crowd.

As a side note: There are guys on Twitter that preach useless sayings, such as “Just take her to the dance, man,” and “Wear shoes! Not sneakers!” that would be an absolute hit with the blue pill religious crowd out here in Utah. I’m not kidding when I say that. There are a ton of guys, both young and old alike, who still believe that the way to a woman’s heart, and to her vagina, is to take her to dinner, buy her flowers and candy, take her out dancing (pre-pandemic of course) and then go and get some ice cream before taking her home for the evening, dropping her off, walking her to her door, and then hoping for that goodnight kiss.

I don’t consider the “advice” being doled out by this particular crowd to be “dangerous” per se, but I do find it outdated, useless, and worthless at best.

Back to my point: The trad crowd is more “dangerous” to me because I grew up in it and around it, and when I was younger and more naive, I used to believe in the messages that were being spouted. Those messages haven’t changed, just a newer, younger crowd preaching them today.

The ‘Lose All Hope Crew’ doesn’t really bother me. I’ve never been one to mope around in my misery and wish for someone else to do my heavy lifting. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself for the most part. Bitching about the way things are doesn’t fix them or make them better and that’s what this particular crowd likes to relish themselves in. I’ve always been a fan of what is possible instead of what isn’t possible so don’t even bother trying. I’m not delusional enough to think that I’m impervious to this crowd’s particular message, but I like to think that I’m pretty close to it. Bitching about my lot in life has never gotten me anywhere except alienated. Nobody likes to be around “that guy.” That, and nobody is coming to save you. If you want to be “saved” you’re going to have to do it yourself.

The world doesn’t owe you, me, or anyone else in it a living. Life sucks sometimes and life isn’t fair. Get over it and play the hand you were dealt. You may not have been blessed with great genetics or money, or whatever else you think genuinely matters, but you still have things going for you and you can still figure out how to survive and thrive with what you have got. It’s what I do.

So I’ve answered the question for myself at least. What about you? Which one are you more susceptible to? If you happen to say “neither,” well then congratulations, you’ve figured out life, emotions, and human behavior. You are truly a rock that is impervious to anything the world can throw at you. You also have a gaping blind spot. You’re going to be susceptible to one or both of these crowd’s messages. Sooner or later one of these guys is going to say something that is going to strike a nerve or ring a bell for you, and that’s when they will own you.

People always assume that it’s only dumb or gullible people that get caught up in the ideology of a cult. Cults come in more flavors than just the religious variety. Both of these crowds could very possibly be considered cults on some level. Many of them have “charismatic” leaders, they both have their own ideologies, they both have their own agendas, and both can totally destroy you if you get caught up in them.

Know your blind spots and your weaknesses. Know what it is that if someone says it, you’ll be more predisposed to listen to them. Know what you are susceptible to. It’s not the messages that you disagree with that will be your undoing, it will be the messages that you want to hear.

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