Mob Mentality

It is quite easy to lose oneself in a large crowd and equally as easy to lose oneself to the crowd. It might even be as easy to lose one’s mind in a large crowd, if by ‘mind’ we mean “individualized will, self-restraint, and responsibility.” If this seems incredulous, simply remove yourself from the crowd, if not physically then at least mentally, at the next large sporting event you attend. It would be best to go to the bottom of the stadium, do an about-face, and observe the crowd from this panopticon point of view. Watch as jeers, gestures, even rhythmic “waves” manifest themselves throughout the crowd, often initiating with one or two individuals and rapidly spreading to a whole host of souls. Indeed, the soul of the crowd seems to morph into one giant conglomerate as the behaviors and emotions of the sea of faces amalgamates into one persuasive thrust of vocal, rhythmic force. Even more true can be the deindividualization that takes place in crowd not gathered in stadiums for the viewing of a sporting event, but rather in the streets for the viewing of and participation in a not-so-peaceful protest. One or two hecklers throwing Molotov cocktails at the police shield barricade or chanting reckless obscenities can be enough to persuade thousands of others to go and do likewise, often with the majority not having a clear explanation for their behavior - or even why they’re there in the first place. The crowd that rioted in Ephesus during Paul’s ministry their was started by one man, Demetrius the silversmith, and just a few compatriots. By the end, the entire city was in an uproar, and most didn’t know why they were there. Likewise, the Messiah himself was condemned after just a few Pharisees stirred the crowd enough to have them chant for the release of vagrant vagabond and reveling rioter himself, one, Barabbas.