Intro

Famed French sociologist Gustave Le Bon writes, "In the collective mind the intellectual aptitudes of the individuals, and in consequence their individuality, are weakened. The heterogeneous is swamped by the homogeneous, and the unconscious qualities obtain the upper hand.” (1)

If the idea of a “Herd-mind” seems a bit esoteric, you could instead call it the "lowest-common-denominator mindset.” For example, imagine you’re an executive in the music industry. You’re under pressure to sell as many records as possible each year, and the competition is intense. In this situation, you must search for artists who are “popular” - who can appeal to tens of millions of people. You personally might like violin concertos, or a rapper who incorporates philosophy in his lyrics, but those acts don’t sell. If you invest millions of dollars in them, they will flop and you'll lose your job.

So you sign a Bieber lookalike who sings about relationships and sex. Or a thug who raps about violence and sex. Or a beautiful woman who only sings about sex. Why? Because every one likes sex. If you produce a hit song about fucking it will appeal to Russians in Siberia, American teenagers in the suburbs, and gang bangers in Mexico all at the same time.

Of course, the average kid who turns on the radio isn’t thinking about any of these social and financial dynamics. He just hears “Sex, sex, violence, violence” and thinks, “Word, life must be all about sex and violence.” You (the music executive) are thus "dumbing down the youth" for profit. There's no conspiracy here, though, it's just how the system operates.

Body

Indeed, the lowest-common-denominator has great power, almost like a gravitational pull. Le Bon writes, “Thanks to general beliefs, the men of every age are enveloped in a network of traditions, opinions, and customs which render them all alike, and from whose yoke they cannot extricate themselves.” (2) As I mentioned previously, music, sitcoms, movies, and media in general all must appeal to the Herd in order to be profitable. Imagine starting a news station that refused to engage in sensationalism and instead aired sober analysis of pending legislation. Your ratings would suck - you wouldn’t last a month on air. Indeed, news channels must engage in some amount of entertainment and emotionalism if they are to stay in business. This is one of the ironies of living in a “freedom loving democracy.” You are “free"…free to be inducted into the degenerate mind of the Herd.

In Beyond Good and Evil, Nietzsche writes, “Morality in Europe at present is Herding-Animal Morality” (3). It’s the exact same today throughout the West. Now, I don’t say this simply to shit on the average person. Rather, I’m pointing out that you need to become aware of the true nature of the masses if you intend to better yourself. If you just passively absorb the culture around you, you’ll unknowingly take on many limiting (or even flat out wrong) beliefs about the world. This is a serious danger for men who want to live life to the fullest.

In a very real sense, we are brainwashed by schools and the media into living in the Herd Mind. Le Bon writes, "From the dawn of civilization onwards crowds have always undergone the influence of illusions. It is to the creators of illusions that they have raised more temples, statues, and altars than to any other class of men” (4). This class he refers to is the ownership class, the Dark Triads, the rulers, whatever you want to call them. What’s important to note, though, is those individuals merely learn to harness forces that already exist within the popular mind. They are not solely to blame for the public’s taste for mythology over truth. This insight is what people who reflexively dismiss “conspiracy theories” don’t understand. Yes, there are powerful people who mislead and manipulate the public. However, they get into power in the first place because the masses to some extent want to be misled. They want to be told everything is going to be OK and Change is just around the corner. So-called conspiracies are rather mundane when you consider the bigger picture.

To become fully a man, then, you actually need to separate from the crowd. This movement away from the masses may initially go against your Humanistic programming, since it seems egotistical or “mean” at first. However, the truth is the truth. If you actually want to help your family, your community, and so on, then you need to be empowered yourself. You can’t be a slave/beta-provider to women. You can’t hang out with Blue Pillers who only want to drag you down. You must not waste all your free time on entertainment.

Conclusion

Get away from the lowest common denominator. As Nietzsche says, learn to prize “the lofty independent spirituality, the will to stand alone, and even the cogent reason..everything that elevates the individual above the herd” (5). Don’t be a dick about it, but take full responsibility for yourself and stop being a slave to culture.

My blog is http://legendary-peace.com/

SOURCES:

1) Gustave Le Bon, The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind, 17.

2) Ibid, 83.

3) Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, 139.

4) Gustave Le Bon, The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind, 63.

5) Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, 137.