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Defending Windows over Mac a sign of mental illness (opinion)

Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 11:31 PM EST


By SteveJack
"The combination of "Stockholm Syndrome" and "cognitive dissonance" produces a
victim who firmly believes the relationship is not only acceptable, but also desperately
needed for their survival, writes Joseph M. Carver, PhD for Mental-Health-Matters.com.
Interesting, you say, but what does this have to do with the price of iMacs in China?
Well, nothing, but it does have a great deal to do with a recent issue I had with an IT
department head at a company with which I was consulting recently. I wont get into the
specifics, but you know the drill, this guy hated Macs for some reason, made outright fun
of Macs using all of the usual myths (too expensive, no software, no one uses them,
Apples going out of business, etc.), but was getting pounded by his companys workers
and management as his network repeatedly failed due to viruses and patches and just
plain Windows crashes.
I think Ive figured out the answer to my own article from last November, I really
wonder what some Windows users think about Macintosh.
These Windows users are sick. Sick, I tell you! Mentally ill. Want proof? Okay, but keep
in mind that this gets eerie, proceed at your own risk:
Dr. Carver explains the history of the naming of Stockholm Syndrome, On August
23rd, 1973 two machine-gun carrying criminals entered a bank in Stockholm, Sweden.
Blasting their guns, one prison escapee named Jan-Erik Olsson announced to the terrified
bank employees The party has just begun! The two bank robbers held four hostages,
three women and one man, for the next 131 hours. The hostages were strapped with
dynamite and held in a bank vault until finally rescued on August 28th. After their rescue,
the hostages exhibited a shocking attitude considering they were threatened, abused, and
feared for their lives for over five days. In their media interviews, it was clear that they
supported their captors and actually feared law enforcement personnel who came to their
rescue.
While the psychological condition in hostage situations became known as Stockholm
Syndrome due to the publicity the emotional bonding with captors was a familiar
story in psychology. It had been recognized many years before and was found in studies
of other hostage, prisoner, or abusive. In the final analysis, emotionally bonding with an
abuser is actually a strategy for survival for victims of abuse and intimidation, Dr.
Carver writes.
Stockholm Syndrome has certain symptoms or behaviors according to Dr. Carver. These
include:
A. Positive feelings by the victim toward the abuser/controller
B. Negative feelings by the victim toward family, friends, or authorities trying to
rescue/support them or win their release
C. Support of the abuser's reasons and behaviors
D. Positive feelings by the abuser toward the victim
E. Supportive behaviors by the victim, at times helping the abuser
F. Inability to engage in behaviors that may assist in their release or detachment
Now, I shall interpret, using my IT friend as the example:
A: Even though completely locked into a failing computer system, he compliments
Microsoft when speaking of Windows and Microsoft applications.
B. I was trying to explain the benefits of Mac OS X vs. Windows when it comes to
usability, stability, and virus/worm security only to have him make fun of Apple and the
Mac based upon myths and falsehoods.
C. His support of Microsofts system of patching problems as they came up, how
Windows worked, etc. was strong.
D. This poor bastard loved Microsoft.
E. This guy was proud that he had been awake for 56 hours, working through two nights
straight to patch hundreds of infected Windows machines.
F. He wouldnt listen to me as I offered him an option (Mac) that did everything he
needed to do (and more) without the problems of Windows.
According to Dr. Carver, four situations or conditions must be present that serve as a
foundation for the development of Stockholm Syndrome:
A. The presence of a perceived threat to one's physical or psychological survival and the
belief that the abuser would carry out the threat
B. The presence of a perceived small kindness from the abuser to the victim
C. Isolation from perspectives other than those of the abuser
D. The perceived inability to escape the situation
My interpretation:
A: The perceived threat, I believe, is that my IT friend would have to learn something
new or, to put it simply, fear of change. This is a very strong fear in some humans.
B: Microsoft had worked with him on licensing, some custom work, etc.
C. My IT friend would not hear the words Mac or Apple or anything other than
Windows without immediately shutting down intellectually and resorting to making fun
of the Mac and Apple users.
D. He was so deeply invested in time and money with Microsoft, that he couldnt even
consider life without Microsoft.

Dr. Carver explains that, In abusive and controlling relationships, the victim has the
sense they are always walking on eggshells fearful of saying or doing anything that
might prompt a violent/intimidating outburst. My IT friend had long ago barred all users
from installing any software on their machines, kept Windows restore discs everywhere
(even in his car!), and acted like keeping his computer running was the result of hours
and hours of fine-tuning (which it was).
Im going to stop translating because its just not necessary any longer, just read what
Dr. Carver has to say and apply it to my IT friend, Microsoft, and my attempts to offer
him the Apple Macintosh solution:
In severe cases of Stockholm Syndrome in relationships, the victim may have difficulty
leaving the abuser and may actually feel the abusive situation is their fault.
Abusers and controllers are often given positive credit for not abusing their partner,
when the partner would have normally been subjected to abuse in a certain situation.
In relationships with an abuser or controller, the victim has also experienced a loss of
self-esteem, self-confidence, and psychological energy. The victim may feel burned out
and too depressed to leave.
Stockholm Syndrome produces an unhealthy bond with the controller and abuser. It is
the reason many victims continue to support an abuser after the relationship is over. It's
also the reason they continue to see the good side of an abusive [situation] and appear
sympathetic to someone who has abused them.
Now lets look briefly at Cognitive Dissonance. Dr. Carver explains, Throughout
history, people have found themselves supporting and participating in life situations that
range from abusive to bizarre. One way these feelings and thoughts are developed is
known as cognitive dissonance.
Cognitive Dissonance explains how and why people change their ideas and opinions
to support situations that do not appear to be healthy, positive, or normal. In the theory,
an individual seeks to reduce information or opinions that make him or her
uncomfortable Even though we might find ourselves in a foolish or difficult situation
few want to admit that fact the more you invest (income, job, home, time, effort, etc.)
the stronger your need to justify your position.
Dr. Carver explains, Studies tell us we are more loyal and committed to something that
is difficult, uncomfortable, and even humiliating. The initiation rituals of college
fraternities, Marine boot camp, and graduate school all produce loyal and committed
individuals.
Add Windows IT professionals to the list of pledges, recruits, and grad students.
Emotional Investment, Dr. Carver explains, is the key, We've invested so many
emotions, cried so much, and worried so much that we feel we must see the relationship
through to the finish.
My poor IT friend. Hes ill. Dr. Carver writes, The combination of Stockholm
Syndrome and cognitive dissonance produces a victim who firmly believes the
relationship is not only acceptable, but also desperately needed for their survival. The
victim feels they would mentally collapse if the relationship ended. In long-term
relationships, the victims have invested everything and placed all their eggs in one
basket. The relationship now decides their level of self-esteem, self-worth, and
emotional health.
I could go on, but my point has probably made many times over by now. So, how do we
break the abused from the abuser? According to Dr. Carver it is a complex problem that
may require counseling and professional help. In my case, I just sent along my first draft
of this article anonymously. Drastic, maybe, but I dont have an extended period of time
here. That was 10 days ago. Im not going to mention Apple or Mac to him for a while,
but Ive noticed that hes no longer visibly recoiling at the sight of my PowerBook
anymore. A small step, but it seems to be in the right direction.
SteveJack is a long-time Macintosh user, web designer, multimedia producer and a
regular contributor to the MacDailyNews Opinion section.

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