In the opening paragraph of Sasha Stone‘s “Last Day of Oscar Voting as Mass Formation Takes Hold,” the reason for the insane allegiance to Everything Everywhere All At Once is laid flat on the kitchen table:
“Mass formation is the flipside of mass hysteria. Both are ways [in which] whole groups of people are afflicted in one direction or another, both affording greater chances for survival. We’ve seen mass hysteria afflict Hollywood and the awards race for about seven years now. What usually follows from mass hysteria is mass formation. That means everyone falls in line partly out of fear, but also to be part of one movement, one people.”
Paragraphs #2, #3 and #4 are pretty good also.
