Science fiction Quote by Phil Ball
““There is so much morbo festering between these two sides that they would have to employ a very powerful priest to exorcise the phenomenon, always presuming that they wanted to. It's not merely that they hate each other with an intensity that can truly shock the outsider, but that each encounter between them always has a new ingredient. This is the essence of morbo. It feeds off itself and keeps growing until it becomes a self-regulating and self-perpetuating organism, like some sinister creature from a science fiction fantasy.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Morbo Phenomenon, 2005
Intense rivalry creates a self‑sustaining, escalating conflict that feeds on itself like a living organism.
In simple terms: Hatred fuels a growing, self‑perpetuating conflict.
Key Takeaway
Break cycles of escalating animosity.
Themes
conflict
hatred
escalation
psychology
Mood
analytical
critical
Type
psychological
observational
When to use this quote
- political disputes
- family feuds
- online trolling
- sports rivalries
Key Concepts
systems theory
social dynamics
feedback loops
Questions to Reflect On
- What mechanisms sustain this conflict?
- How can you interrupt the feedback loop?
A Different Perspective
Ignoring underlying causes can worsen the cycle.
![“Nearly all the writing of our time is likely to disappear in a hundred years. Certainly most readers - and nearly all critics - feel that [Kurt] Vonnegut started to repeat himself, to grow increasingly self-indulgent and meandering, and to sometimes just blather in his later work. But his books up…” quote by Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ed7/michael-dirda-3414_1960s_nearly-all-the-writing-of-our-time-is-li_13506.jpg)
