Mob Rule

Logic works when two people sit down and talk. Logic works when a group of people talk as equals on a shared topic. Logic works when one person talks and others listen. Logic works when everyone in conversation appreciate the same logic or connect to the logic being used. 

But all that breaks when logics do not match or when the person involved in conversation cannot connect with the logic. Logic completely breaks down when a large group of people tries to talk down a smaller group or a single individual. There, the brute force of mob rules. Whichever logic the mob has undertaken, be it right or wrong, prevails for the moment. Totally feasible logic may be useless. Totally absurd logic may be the best tool. 

Mob also involves a lot of people talking at the same time. It is like the denial of service attack on the perception capacity of the listener. The listener is overwhelmed by the sheer flow of opinions and ideas coming towards her or him. Many points are thrown before she readies her answer or response. As a result, the responder becomes confused and cannot tackle the barrage correctly. If that escalates, the responder becomes totally unable to handle the tirade of remarks. 

With such potent power to silence an otherwise competent and capable responder, the mob revels in its triumph. Each individual may feel awkward internally but still the mob feels triumphant. 

Each individual member of the mob hence convinces himself of his perceived victory and relishes the share of the group victory. 

No wonder the groups, factions, unions, collective bargaining units the world over use this methodology to drive those points, make the opponent bow down even to unjustifiable demands. The only answer is excessive force which is not tenable in modern free societies. As a result, till the individual potential member of the mob does not develop the maturity of logic and pragmatism, mob rule is bound to continue thriving. 

Monday, 03 June 2019