Pouring beer into the 18-34 demographic and then throwing them into a crowded urban street is an unsurprising recipe for disaster. If you look at the videos out there you see people reveling in distinctly anti-social behaviour and of course acting with extreme stupidity. In this clip, you see a man trying to curb the violent behaviour of the mob. He held the mob back for awhile, but in the end gets swarmed and beaten for his efforts. Watch for yourself…
The individual took an ethical stand, and was injured because of it. I would venture that the people that hurt him do not think of themselves as bad evil people, but somewhere along the way they tucked their moral compass away and stopped listening, letting their lizard brain and the false power of the crowd dynamic take over. The mob has no feelings other than anger, malevolence and dangerous disconnect with regular social norms. When the crowd leaves, only then do you see the individual victims.
A picture from the same series that has quickly become an internet meme because of the juxtaposition of the injured woman, the police (not in this picture) and the mob in the background. What do we see in the picture? We see the results of violent group behaviour, but now we can relate to the people now because they have left the group dynamic. We can sympathize. The fact that we can loose this connection to others so quickly is intriguing and disturbing.
One aspect of the video, and even of the still shots is that amazing amount of apathy on display. How many amazingly unhelpful people do you see with their apple I-fail recording someone being beaten? It turns the stomach. The behaviour of the mob is frustrating but yet remains a provocation showing how quickly the veneer of our civilized values can slip away.
The question is, would you stand against the individuated mass if they were doing wrong? Would you intervene to stop the destruction of property? The abuse of another? Would you be part of the I-fail recording enablers? Can you even answer this question properly within the safety of your computer room?
bleatmop
Mystro
Dead Wild Roses 
3 comments
June 26, 2011 at 12:05 pm
Vern R. Kaine
As someone living in Vegas I see alcohol poured into that demographic literally on a daily basis down the Strip yet without incident. I’ve had many discussions with people on how much better behaved people are when there’s cheap alcohol and 24hr access to it vs. the problems up there when they decide to close bars down early, eliminate drink specials, etc. in efforts to make people more “responsible”. Up there I’ve seen it have the opposite effect. Down here, except for the odd anti-Canadian idiot, I’ve seen almost zero violence whatsoever.
I think one thing of note with the Vancouver riot is that those are people who exist just waiting for an excuse to be violent. In spite of articles to the contrary, I don’t believe they were true hockey fans. I think they were thugs from all over who love mob violence in all forms and were just waiting for another excuse to engage in it. I believe they would have been just as out there in full force if Vancouver had won than if they had lost, there would have just been more opposing numbers than just that one guy or the few trying to curb it.
The gang problems in Surrey and Vancouver’s surrounding communities are horrible, and with all the comforts Canada has to offer citizens of any stripe or color, these are nothing but spoiled punks and thugs who deserve to eliminate themselves from our gene pool.
I think that misses your point, however – as individuals, do we have the courage to go against the grain, against the crowd, or in this case, against the mob to uphold our values? The guy in your example, case in point, the rebels in Libya as another, or even people in more civil environments?
Those p.o.s. who rioted don’t have the guts to even ask that sort of question, and by their behavior the answer would be “no” anyways. That’s why they hid their identities. They don’t deserve the freedoms and privileges they have in your country, therefore I believe they should have been dropped with tear gas/mace, shot with rubber bullets, and beaten with clubs just like the police forces do in other countries that are more suited to their mindset and behavior.
As a direct answer to your question, I’ve been physically harmed for sticking to my values/beliefs at times in my youth, so I can confidently say “yes” with no change in my attitude now (I’m just in more civilized circles). I think all guys should go through this test at some point in their lives, and it’s because most guys don’t have this sort of test that we have so many males acting like either children or neanderthals.
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June 26, 2011 at 2:14 pm
Vern R. Kaine
Side note/question: Wasn’t the pic of the guy and girl in the middle of the street one where they were sharing a kiss?
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June 26, 2011 at 3:02 pm
The Arbourist
Yep. This is just after or before that shot.
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