Step Right Up, Step Right Up...

[Phineas T. Poxwattle]

Hear ye! Hear ye!

I come bearing curios and elixers of all sorts. Tonics, Oils, Salves, Butt Powders, you name it, I've got it.

Today, however, I come bearing a rather rare and strange tincture. This tincture can only be made under very special conditions. Let me tell you how I came into possession of this rare alchemical potion.

But first, let explain something about the alchemy of personality. Personality is a very particular brew. To create a personality tincture, you take one part Motivation, distill it with alcohol, and suspend it in a social network. Because the ingredients are so specific, you can never create the same personality twice. If you take the same person and immerse him in two different social baths, you will get two different personalities.

So what happens if you take a group of people, suspend them in a social network like this forum, and then suspend the same people in a very different social network, let's say the forums at Wicca.com? You'll end up with people connected to two different personalities.

If you let the tincture stand for long enough, certain psychic elements will divide themselves between the two personalities. Perhaps the nice parts will go to one end, the nasty to the other. Perhaps the person uses one personality to express drives which cannot be expressed by the other. At this point, the two personalities are very different. Practically separate people, with their own methods, posting styles, and social relationships.

And here's where the alchemy comes in..

Remember how the personality is intimately connected with the social network? If you mix up the two social networks, what do you think happens to the personalities?

My tincture is created by taking somebody from principiadiscordia.com, having them project certain parts of themselves into a social network on wicca.com, and forming certain relationships. Then, when the citizens of wicca.com come to PD.com, the person in question becomes very confused. He cannot figure out how to relate to the newcomers, as he has already established relationships with them through a very different personality.

As I said, this is a very rare and special tincture I'm peddling. It is liquid cognitive dissonance. One sip and it will shift your entire mental checkerboard. But before you sample it, you may want to put on some adult diapers, which I also happen to have for sale.


Brave enough to try it? Step right up...

[DiscoUkulele]

 

[Lies]

I for one welcome our Wiccan bretheren for making the big step of coming over to explore another side of thinking, and will drink whatever you have for sale, mr snake oil salesman.

[Aucoq]

I second this.

Great post!  And it's 100% true.

[Don Coyote]

I'm confused.

[Adios]

My attempt to change is going to be more difficult than I anticipated. However I am trying.

[Don Coyote]

My attempt to change is going to be more difficult than I anticipated. However I am trying.

I find that taking off my shoes first helps tremendously.

[Adios]

My attempt to change is going to be more difficult than I anticipated. However I am trying.

I find that taking off my shoes first helps tremendously.

They are implants.

[Don Coyote]

They are implants.

You have robot feet?

[Adios]

They are implants.

You have robot feet?

Bionic.

[Captain Utopia]

Since my wicca.com persona started out so differently from my own, and has a fabricated history, I don't think that I get to play this game.  Since the dissonance is so distinct, I just snap into either one dependent on location, rather than individuals.  That's kind of fun in itself, but different.

I think you know what you're talking about though, for me it reminds me of being a teenager and being around my parents and friends at the same time.

[Don Coyote]

Bionic.

Do you get the cool slo-mo and sound effects when you run?

[Adios]

Yes, but I had to pay extra.

[Don Coyote]

Back to the op type thing now that I think I understand, I'm still not firing on all cylinders yet.

I do believe that aside from on a few places where I deliberately work towards portraying myself in a certain manner, I just let teh chips fall where they may. Why bother worrying about maintaining a facade or staying "in character"

Yes, but I had to pay extra.

So that is why the six million dollar man didn't have laser beam eyes.

[Jasper]

Great read.  It's a good analogy, the human ego and alchemy.