What drives copycats/fakes?

[OceanSpray]

Primary on my mind is school shooters because we’ve got a threat at my school today. 99% sure it’s completely fake.

I understand the motivations of a lot of actual perpetrators, to a point anyway. But I don’t understand the inevitable string of copycats and fakes that happen after each real one. As someone who is mortified when a cop pulls me over for expired tags- the idea of that level of attention on me is something that I can’t comprehend.

But what drives them? Is it truly just the attention? Why would that attention be desirable in any way? You’ll get nothing except trouble for years, you won’t have the *impact* that a *real* perpetrator does so it’s not like you’ll be attached to this “glory” (bad choice of word but don’t know how else to phrase it). You’ll never really be *known*, all you’ll get is people in your circle knowing how stupid you acted. Which ya, we all do stupid things, but usually there’s some kind of relatively understandable reasoning.

 

[Friday]

But what drives them?

They’re… fundamentally… rule followers.

It takes someone else doing it first… to “allow” them the possibility of doing so, themselves.

Rule Breakers DGAF what others do. They do their own thing. For myriad reasons. Rule followers, on the other hand, need someone else to do something to make it “okay” (in their own minds) to do. The average, mathmatically? Is 1:20. As in 1 event inspires 20 others. But “most” of those will not action, “only” think. On a serious level. Whilst hundreds will think on a realistic level, and thousands on an OMFG emotional level. They’re reeeeally predictable levels. Mathematically speaking. With extremely predictable outcomes.

Pain? Creates VERY predictable outcomes. On a mathematical level.

It’s the irony of school shooters & suicides. Reports ALWAYS “inspire” others. As they are SO devoted to “rules” & “normal”. The same way suburban kids “rebel” with drugs & alcohol, because the suburbs are so bland, their rebellions are equally bland… & predictable.

 

[Innordinate]

Bandwagon effect. Mob/herd mentality.
Same thing happens say, if you're at a really long red traffic light in the middle of the night with two other people. As soon as one decides to run the red someone else will inevitably follow. It's already been done so, might as well.
Throw in some echopraxia and projection for fun.