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Do You Think You Could Be Part of a Mob?

Snow Turtle

New member
Joined
May 28, 2007
Messages
1,335
I could probably be a part of a mob -- the studies on diffusion of responsibility are just so counterintuitive that I don't trust my gut feeling that I would be an exception to some rule.

I think awareness of potential mob-mentality and constant evaluation of behaviour would prevent you from blindly conforming. Granted, whether or not you choose to act out against the mob is a different matter entirely. Kind of like how psychology students would be aware that in an emergency where someone is injured, in a massive crowd, it's likely that nobody will actually do anything since everyone is expecting another individual will step in and take charge.
 

ewomack

New member
Joined
Nov 6, 2008
Messages
133
I'm not sure how much choice I would have to not get caught up in a mob mentality, especially if it meant endangering myself.

The closest I've come to a mob was when I was in Siena, Italy some years ago in a gelato shop outside the town center. Soon a massive crowd of shouting people floated by the doorway. They were loud and frantic. Probably stupidly, I followed the mass of people to a square some yards away. They seemed to be shouting and cheering at something around a corner. I had to literally push my way through a morass of people, probably a few thousand, that were sardined into this square. As I turned the corner I looked up at what the crowd was shouting at. There, in a tiny restaurant was Richard Gere. I could see he was mouthing the "F" word repeatedly as he realized that he was trapped. Soon the police came and carted him out. I asked around and found out that a Blockbuster had just opened in Siena and he was there to promote it. For some reason he thought he could walk around unnoticed. The adoring crowd probably would have loved him to death had he let them. It was a very bizarre scene. People seemed crazed, irrational and incensed. In retrospect it was probably stupid to follow the mass, but since I lived through the experience I now remember it as fascinating. Sadly, I didn't take any pictures (I don't think I even had my camera with me and this was before cell phone cameras became commonplace).

Even friendly mobs have a terrifying aspect to them. Next time I won't follow.
 

KDude

New member
Joined
Jan 26, 2010
Messages
8,243
I can't even join a sing-a-long for a 2 year old's birthday party. I don't get in sync well or get caught up in people's enthusiasm "just because I am there". I have no idea what it'd take to join a mob.
 
D

Dali

Guest
I almost got killed once for trying to stop a group of 20+ perpetrating a beat-down as other bystanders looked on from a distance.

So, no.
 
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