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Message: <blockquote data-quote="WayneLigon" data-source="post: 3854002" data-attributes="member: 3649">Rather than the word 'rational', I prefer the term 'reasoned' or even 'lawful' from a hallmark statement in psychology that states that all behavior is lawful. In other words, there are no true random actions; everyone, even madmen, have an underlying reason behind what they do. It might not be 'rational' but everyone most certainly has a basis for their beliefs. Another way of saying it is that people do not hold opinions at random.I think this might be what Celebrim is saying, as well.Another word I think that would serve us better is 'reasonable'. Is it 'reasonable' for a person to have the belief that D&D could be harmful? That answer is generally 'no', but at the same time we can't read minds and we can't know the background of the person saying these things.I will digress a bit into a personal and probably unprovable psychological observation as regards D&D.I played D&D some time before The Incident, and maybe with one exception the people I saw playing the game were pretty normal sorts. Almost entirely college students or people who were of somewhat exceptional intelligence. After The Incident, once D&D's reputation for freakishness was well spread, I noticed that the quality of the company took a rather sharp nose-dive. People with marginal personalities and habits seem to be drawn to activites that are are peceived by the public to be marginal and somewhat unsavory. It's like they seek a form of re-affirmation of their own habits.Once they heard that D&D was marginal and unsavory, something inside said to them 'I gotta get me some of that'. Before, if someone was a gamer, I'd consider them to automatically be both a more than average trustworthy person and probably an all-around Good Egg, as it were. After that point, we became very selective in who we invited into our houses or socialized with because of just the general unsavory vibes we'd get off a number of people, who later on would prove to have one of these crash-and-burn personalities.So, back to the main point. Someone who is against D&D could very well be against it for very good reasons, because their only exposure has been to one of these maginalized personality types who sought acceptance through a marginal activity, thinking it would actually bring him acceptance of a sort. (And unfortunately, many times gamers are a little too accepting of the more marginal personality types because it's sometimes a situation of 'put up with some freakishness or not game, period'). People who are in other subcultures can certainly relate to this same phenomenon. Almost every subculture has a section of 'Please, don't help us' types whom you fervently hope are NOT out spreading the word about what you like.</blockquote>

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