Episode 16: Us Versus Me: Group or Personal Identify, Shaking it loose, the Law of Jante

We begin with examining group and personal identity as Bryan describes what comes up, at of all places, a rock concert 7/10. From that we springboard into rock concerts or mass sporting events as a form of religious participation- makes more sense that you might thing, right off.. We also discuss how the anonymous person in the mass society sometimes tries to speak him/her self larger than they really are, how narcissistic posturing (‘a legend in his own mind’) is a poor substitute for the real personal distinction that is earned or won through intention + concerted effort + stamina. Finally, we explore the unofficial “law” of Scandinavian society, the Law of Jante- an interesting contrast to noisy pseudo-‘individualism’.