Aristotle said that man is the most imitative of all animals, and Thomas Jefferson commented without imitation we couldn't learn anything. But - there is good imitation and bad imitation (look at how many parents become hysterical who their kids imitate).
There is a curious question about imitation. It appears a lot of imitation is based on some kind of envy - if I imitate you I will have the life you have. That can be envy, or admiration, which the Greeks noticed is the benign form of envy.
When you try to imitate someone in the hopes of having their life, you can, and often do, defend them vociferously, and attack, scapegoat and try to expel those whom believe are attacking your attempts to live a "better" life - even if it's clearly not a better life.
I see this in the Manosphere all the time. "You're saying Alphas don't exist? How dare you?!?! I aspire to be an Alpha - to imitate one! And no, they are not liars and frauds! They are gods! And I want to have the life of a god!" They get self-righteous and outraged, which allows them to feel superior without having to anything worthwhile at all.
I've thought for a long time the more imitative a person is (say, the expensive suit and the Porsche) the more possessed by greed and envy they are. They lack internal resources, so they seek their meaning and importance and from people. They're completely dependent.
So, paradoxically, the more independent and thoughtful you are, the more you will be attacked and turned into a scapegoat. Because you resist being part of the herd and the herd-mind. Bizarrely, this is considered the basis, of all things, of human sacrifice. Kill the infidel! Save society! We are renewed! Safe from the evil!
It's a bit amusing when people think they have taken the Red Pill and Woken Up but they have the exact same thoughts, including using the exact same words: AlphaBetaDeltaGammmaOmegaShittestHypergamyRedPillBluePillDarkTriedChicksDigJerks.
"According to this theory human beings imitate each other, and this eventually gives rise to rivalries and violent conflicts. Such conflicts are partially solved by a scapegoat mechanism..." - on Rene Girard's theories
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