why is this group being spammed?

[Alf P. Steinbach /Usenet]

* be.krul, on 18.07.2010 07:01:
> why is this group being spammed?

It depends a little on what you're asking, e.g. technical versus motivation.

But I'll answer about something you probably didn't mean to ask, namely what 
human trait enables and almost forces that kind of behavior.

And I believe it is the same trait that let hypnotists do funny TV-shows with 
quite normal folks behaving in ridiculous ways, the same trait that causes wars, 
the same trait that causes religion, the same trait that holds back science so 
that "paradigm shifts" only occur when new generations take over, a trait that 
/makes/ your feet start moving to the rhythm when you hear the right kind of 
music, and so on. Namely the instinctual drive to fit in in a social group by 
sharing that group's behavior and values. This instinct is possibly stronger 
than the sex drive, e.g., wars are seldom fought over sex ("surrender, and give 
us sex!", no, that's not it, it's "surrender, and become part of us!").

Consider, there would be almost no spam if spamming didn't pay.

And the only way that spam can pay is if there are at least some suckers with 
good money.

And the only way that there can be a reasonable number of suckers of such 
monumental stupidity, who also have good money, is, as I see it, if intelligence 
and good sense is not a requirement for succeeding in society.

But what is required, then, for succeeding in society?

Some of it is no doubt blind chance, but I believe that the main requirement is 
simply one of fitting in, conformance. Thus, if my hypothesis is right, almost 
any idiot can rise to any level of responsibility and social standing simply by 
fitting in, conforming. This idiot then has good money and might be one of the 
suckers responding to spam.


Cheers,

- Alf

-- 
blog at <url: http://alfps.wordpress.com>