"There are countless horrible things happening all over the world and horrible people prospering, but we must never allow them to disturb our equanimity or deflect us from our sacred duty to sabotage and annoy them whenever possible." -Auberon Waugh
Sunday, January 29, 2012
I like
Whether he came up with it before anybody else or not, the first place I encountered the aphorism was at Liberty at Stake.
The book called The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind by Gustave Le Bon made the same point way back in 1895 although in different words.
"The Only Thing Dumber Than the Average Person is a Crowd" is catchy but wouldn't other things dumber than the average person include the really dumb individuals that bring the average down?
More to the point : JeffS is right. Crowds are dumb and people will eagerly cultivate and take advantage of that.
Col M - I liken "crowds" like Occupy to "mobs", given that there's no leadership, no structure, and no overarching goal (unless you count siphoning money off the productive to keep the unproductive comfortable). "Crowds", at least, usually know why they're there - e.g. mall shoppers at Christmas, or Tea Partiers in front of the local political hack's home office.
Deborah Leigh said... Sounds good, but then if there is any Conservative rally, does it apply? It is easy to assign it to the Occupiers, or Occutards, as I like to call them.
The mayor of Oakland is going to try to talk to the "leaders" of the Occupy movement. Haw! I wouldn't be talking after they trashed city hall and attacked the police over the weekend. Never negotiate with terrorists, domestic or foreign.
LibertyAtStake, I don't understand how you can like the Thorogood song and have a thirteen year old? Can't figure why any nice, descent guy would like that song, and especially the video.
On the money!
ReplyDeleteEven more to the point....it's true. The "mob mentality" (a/k/a "herd behavior") has been long known to lower the collective IQ.
ReplyDeleteJust look at the Occupy movement, where drooling morons became idiots.
And stayed that way.
The book called The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind by Gustave Le Bon made the same point way back in 1895 although in different words.
ReplyDelete"The Only Thing Dumber Than the Average Person is a Crowd" is catchy but wouldn't other things dumber than the average person include the really dumb individuals that bring the average down?
More to the point : JeffS is right. Crowds are dumb and people will eagerly cultivate and take advantage of that.
Col M - I liken "crowds" like Occupy to "mobs", given that there's no leadership, no structure, and no overarching goal (unless you count siphoning money off the productive to keep the unproductive comfortable). "Crowds", at least, usually know why they're there - e.g. mall shoppers at Christmas, or Tea Partiers in front of the local political hack's home office.
ReplyDeleteCrowds vs Mobs is a good distinction to make. I think mobs often have leadership it is just that the mob doesn't realize it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the plug. It came from the heart as a life-long thinking introvert. (Translation: I *really* *get* George Thorogood's song 'I Drink Alone'
ReplyDeleted(^_^)b
http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/
"Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive"
Deborah Leigh said... Sounds good, but then if there is any Conservative rally, does it apply? It is easy to assign it to the Occupiers, or Occutards, as I like to call them.
ReplyDeleteThe mayor of Oakland is going to try to talk to the "leaders" of the Occupy movement. Haw! I wouldn't be talking after they trashed city hall and attacked the police over the weekend. Never negotiate with terrorists, domestic or foreign.
LibertyAtStake, I don't understand how you can like the Thorogood song and have a thirteen year old? Can't figure why any nice, descent guy would like that song, and especially the video.
And the corollary would be that President Obama is less than a crowd.
ReplyDeleteCheers
@Anonymous: My, aren't we 'judgmental'? Are you my beloved spouse?
ReplyDelete