Does anyone have that one deranged response on this from some random tumblr blog about how this is actually brainwashing us to accept abuse from authority figures or whatever?
Okay, in saying the following, I recognize that this is going to sound pretty "out there", especially if you're someone who is younger on the internet.
And I will preface what I am about to say with some credentials: I am an Internet Old. I am also someone who is paid professionally to work in the horror genre from time to time. I am also someone who has studied psychology, as well as studying some NLP-type shit (that I do not find ethical in the slightest, as an aside, and I quickly noped out of)...
I also want to let you know upfront that what I will tell you is NOT to make you worry or feel afraid. I am sharing this info only so that you can "see through the curtain" as it were, and recognize media and stories like this for what it actually is.
The tl;dr is - please be very criticial of any online horror story that does not provide a sense of catharsis or release at the end, or at the very least a sense of closure or ending. Or anything that is about someone giving up control.
Why? Because creepypasta stories like this may seem merely surreal and/or hilarious to you, but shit like this is actually subliminally priming you to be more easily manipulated and controlled.
And a lot of these types of stories are absolutely aimed at teens and pre-teens, or college kids, fyi. There is also a really good video by Ann Reardon about of stories being told over brightly coloured baking videos. Mostly though, these stories are about and aimed at WOMEN.
Basically, this story is linking a fear response (a sewer man! - that sounds bad and weird at first) with a violent action - or a taking away of rights/possessions (the coffee that gets poured in the sewer) that comes from someone with power (the soldier) who is "solving a problem" (thinking rationally - how would coffee dumped in the sewer fucking help anyone?!?!) where the victim (the woman) is shown how the solider is "right" to do what he did.
The subliminal lesson here is that the solider does what he wants to do, because "he knows better" than the civilian girl. This story basically ends on the action of "the soldier did the right thing" and there is no real catharsis or sense of ending. You know, the kind of message that implies "be scared, rely on those in power". The idea that we should just comply.
And, as a thought exercise: the story would be so, so much different if it were a sweet little old lady that took the coffee. The initial scare/weirdness factor could still be there, but it wouldn't have that same 'heaviness' feeling to it, you know?
I agree with everything you're saying but I am curious. Should we feed sewer man? He is technically "lower" than homeless and maybe even of the paranormal/mutant/gifted varietà and likely very rude
I think you should interact with the sewer man like the rest of the Lumpenproletariat: not at all. Just drive away in your new and shiny SUV.
Remember, your network is your net worth! /j /s
Yeah exactly completely agree because i read allat👍
But Jokes aside i have yet to notice anyone be affected by such stories, so either it's not that bad, everyone i know is very resistant or this more deeply engrained than imaginable
I absolutely loved House - to the point of distraction - because I identified so strongly with Hugh Laurie’s character. Having myself a tendency in that direction (which I’ve worked, with intermediate success, to overcome), it was very easy so see the world through his eyes.
I even really liked the repeating theme of his always being wholly confident that his initial diagnosis is 100% right, then being proven wrong and being full in on his secondary being right, and finally having his third being right is very very familiar from my own career.
