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Wikipedia chooses to use the term "herd behavior:":
Herd behaviour describes how individuals in a group can act together without planned direction. The term pertains to the behaviour of animals in herds, flocks, and schools, and to human conduct during activities such as stock market bubbles and crashes, street demonstrations, sporting events, episodes of mob violence and even everyday decision making, judgement and opinion forming.
I hadn't given much thought to the various historical concerns about democracy and the possible rulership of the mob. As a liberal, I firmly believe that humans, every single one of them, have a basic construct of decency and rightness of conduct, conveniently forgetting the lynchings of the South and elsewhere, the frenzies of a mob, until I myself was subjected to the frenzied shark feeding of a couple of mobs because I had espoused unpopular views regarding guns, my concern that there were five Roman Catholics on the United States Supreme, a solid ruling majority.
Normally, I wouldn't care what the religion any particular justice espoused but I had noticed a disturbing tendency of the five Roman Catholic justices on the court to vote in lockstep, that these lockstep decisions were a threat to me as a woman and as an American citizen, as a consumer.
I discussed my concern on Daily Kos and the mob erupted. It was a good thing for me to finally discover that, yes, the mob mentality is alive and well, even here in America.
Truthfully, isn't that how George W. Bush got himself elected? Apart from tinkering with the voting process?
To be continued while I think about democracy and mob tendencies and the intentions of our nation's founders and the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Oh yes, and the right of a single voice to dissent while the mob rages. As well as the right to be wrong.
Oh, and if you want to see the mob in action check out:
