There are many tragic “mob behavior” stories in history:
The Athenian implosion
Witch hunts in Europe in the 1300-1500’s
The Spanish Inquisition
Salem witch trials
Jacobin revolution in France
McCarthy anti-communist purge (Note: after the fall of the USSR, we learned that McCarthy was right – the US government was loaded with Communist spies and sympathizers)
Cultural Revolution in China
Khmer Rouge in Cambodia
How did these mob behaviors begin, and how did they end? It’s important to look for the patterns because these mob events happen again and again. (Today’s political correctness and ‘cancel culture’ have very similar elements – though not everyone agrees with me on this.) There is old wisdom which says that the divine spirit may occupy individuals, but the devil works in crowds.
Observable patterns:
- Sincere ideas and concerns at the beginning – but very quickly becomes about identifying enemies and “purification.”
- Weak leadership at the outset. No one stands up early and says, “We’re not doing this.”
- They either exploit institutional legal processes or destroy them altogether. Also, in several examples, revisionist history and changing the meaning of words became a core element.
- The first to suffer are the marginal people with less status, family, means, and friends.
- Momentum builds as people go along rather than stand up and be persecuted or killed themselves. Almost anyone will be accused. The movement often kills those who started the movement.
- They end gradually. There is no final event. It’s as if the energy and momentum dissipate.
How can avoid mobs in the future? They must be stopped at the earliest possible time. This calls for mature leadership in the majority of adults who recognize the dangers at the first signs, and act. This takes courage.
