Mob Mentality and “A Man Alone.”

Justice requires facts, facts require information, and information can only be obtained when one is willing to listen. In “A Man Alone,” an accusation against Odo—one based on few details and driven by preconceived notions—almost cost DS9’s resident shapeshifter his life. It was a 24-century situation that mirrors the present day all too well. A perceived misstep gave a few people with a vendetta a chance to take down someone they didn’t like, and misinformation coupled with disinterest in facts drew a mob around the cause.

In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing discuss Deep Space Nine’s “A Man Alone” within the context of social media and the troubling state of discourse in today’s world. Looking at mob mentality, we explore whether we are information-poor individuals in an information-rich world, how preconceptions and impatience drive division, and why only by listening to and working together with those who hold differing opinions from our own can we reach the future that Gene Roddenberry envisioned.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Mob Mentality (00:03:46)
Information Rich, Information Poor (00:11:24)
Redemption Lost (00:16:49)
Social Media As a Weapon (00:22:50)
Preconceptions and Impatience (00:27:51)
Feel Comfortable with Your Discomfort (00:31:42)
Learn to Listen (00:37:20)
Education Is Key: Keiko’s B-Plot (00:42:12)
Working Together, Solve Problems (00:46:20)
Closing (00:50:25)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) William Murray (Associate Producer) Kay Elizabeth Shaw (Associate Producer) James Muldrow (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)