Standing The Broom - A Study of Social Behavior

Apparently if enough people believe something to be true, than it certainly MUST be true! If my Facebook experience yesterday is any indication, we are in a world of hurt already.

Yesterday, when I visited my Facebook, I was assaulted by a barrage of common household brooms standing, as if by magic, all on their own. My excited friends were oohhing and ahhhing about how their brooms were standing because of the impending equinox, solar flares, or planetary alignment, depending on which story the friend had been indoctrinated with. I, however, being an educated thinker knew the truth. That these brooms would stand any day of the year regardless of planets, equinox, or solar flares.

I took the time to respond to each broom picture carefully explaining that physics is actually at play here and these brooms could be stood anytime. Guess what happened?

I was COMPLETELY ignored!! My friends continued bantering with their like-minded and clueless friends about how "cool" this "phenomenon" was. They completely ignored my comments(I was respectful and not preachy) for the exception of one "like" by a teenager who I implored to ask his physics teacher about it at school.

This was probably the best social experiment I've ever witnessed. It showed perfectly that people will believe what they are told if enough other people claim it to be truth. Furthermore, they will not listen to the voice of reason as long as the majority are buying into the claims being offered. They are content to be ignorant and will not attempt to find the truth by their own free will. Being the same as the group is obviously very important.

I'm not sure I have the same respect for some of my Facebook friends anymore. I mean, they obviously don't value my opinion enough to even comment on my comments. Maybe they just don't like getting schooled.

reply to post by Komaratzi11


Well your first problem was looking to facebook for an intelligent discussion.

Your second problem was looking for an intelligent discussion.

Originally posted by Komaratzi11
I took the time to respond
I was COMPLETELY ignored!!

The same thing happens here on ATS.
There are uncountable numbers of threads here where the rubbish spouted in the OP's posting is shown to be rubbish... and yet the thread continues on for many many more pages.

they were standing brooms due to the solar flares and I missed it????

power of mind, we believe what we want to believe and sometimes no amount of reason or logic will sway our beliefs.

If you were to look at it all, and the whole "meme" base in general, it is really easy to grasp how religions get started.

All it takes is one person to start the chain reaction.

Once enough people believe... there you go. It's now a valid religious belief.

I want to figure out for myself how to stand a broom up with only the physics generated in my own being. Rather than being employed to use arms to do it or employing others to do it...

Say the idea of this thread really stands my kundalini up

reply to post by Komaratzi11


I honestly did not know this. Thank you for sharing.
I feel like such an idiot now but that is quickly fading and I am starting to feel intelligent in place of ignorant.
Knowledge is power....for me at least.


Knowledge is a challenge to some peoples ego.

reply to post by Screwed


Don't feel like an idiot. Hey, you're are at least willing to learn. The people I was dealing with obviously didn't care to be bothered with expanding their knowledge. I find that a lot and I also find that when I speak of intelligent things, people suddenly grow very quiet.

One of my favorite things to do on a dull day at work is to engage my customers in an intelligent conversation. I work at a convenience store part-time and I'm telling you, the last thing anyone expects to hear from a convenience store clerk is intelligent anything. When they hear that I'm not their ordinary cashier, they usually look confused first, then, they either try to participate by adding a thought or they rush out. I figure the ones who rush out are the ones who rather be quiet and believed a fool rather than open their mouths and remove all doubt.

reply to post by Komaratzi11


I bought a discount broom and it doesn't stand at all.. except every other Tuesday, but only at 3am.

Youre right, and this is why Ron Paul is in big trouble.

all you have to do is defend him, and suddenly youre made out to be a racist.

So I saw my cousin posting a picture of her friend at work doing the broom-stand thing. I was like lol. But with gravity and magnetism and the belief that I am part of infinity, I STILL want to believe I'll unlock psychokinesis one day