[thechat] The Sociology of Fanaticism

[Martin Burns]

On Wed, 20 Nov 2002, Ken Kogler wrote:

> I'm doing a 15 minute presentation titled "The Sociology of Fanaticism"
> next week for a class I'm in... I've got plently of info on causes,
> effects, etc, but what I don't have is examples.
>
> Can anyone think of examples of extreme fanaticism, specifically as it
> relates to either sports or lesiure activities?
>
> A few to get started:
>
>   * Crazy fan stabs Monica Seles in the back
>   * "Dead heads" -- those people that followed The Greatful
>      Dead around for years on end
>   * Man rides rollercoaster for 104 days straight
>     <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2234589.stm>
>   * Hockey Dad beats another dad to death in stands
>     <http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/hockey000710.html>
>
> A few of these are pretty depraved, but some are positive, too -- I'm
> looking for more positives than negatives... I don't want the whole
> report to be about psychotic people...  :)

http://www.google.com/search?q=tartan+army
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~scottk01/index.html

Cheers
Martin

--
"Names, once they are in common use, quickly
 become mere sounds, their etymology being
 buried, like so many of the earth's marvels,
 beneath the dust of habit." - Salman Rushdie