Voted up, because I’m not sure I indicated well enough that praise has a dark side (and that some people might not find it appealing at all.) You defined it better than I did: “A communal ritual of adoration and submerging of self into group.”
This is both compelling to many and repugnant to many. There are whole identities constructed around avoiding rituals of adoration, and instead valuing level-headedness and critical thinking. When democracies were founded, they deliberately avoided these kinds of monarchical displays of praise. I have seen fantasy novels, religion, celebrity culture, and contemporary politics criticized precisely because of the element of praise: some find that kind of worship “disgusting” and slavish.
Personally, I find praise intellectually troubling but emotionally compelling.
Voted up, because I’m not sure I indicated well enough that praise has a dark side (and that some people might not find it appealing at all.) You defined it better than I did: “A communal ritual of adoration and submerging of self into group.”
This is both compelling to many and repugnant to many. There are whole identities constructed around avoiding rituals of adoration, and instead valuing level-headedness and critical thinking. When democracies were founded, they deliberately avoided these kinds of monarchical displays of praise. I have seen fantasy novels, religion, celebrity culture, and contemporary politics criticized precisely because of the element of praise: some find that kind of worship “disgusting” and slavish.
Personally, I find praise intellectually troubling but emotionally compelling.