Buzz
Though we like to believe we have the strength to stand firm in our beliefs in any given circumstance, the truth is that most of us tend to follow the crowd’s actions. What’s especially peculiar is that when enough people come together, we often engage in strange, irrational, and sometimes violent actions that we’d never consider on our own. Psychologists call this herd or mob mentality, and when we reflect on both history and the present, it’s clear that it has sparked many head-scratching ‘What were they thinking?’ moments.
10. The Mountain Meadow Massacre
It began in 1857. A wagon train of families traveling to California was spotted by Utah Mormons. For reasons unknown, these church members felt threatened by the travelers and launched an attack. In an attempt to avoid blame, they disguised themselves as Native Americans, similar to the Boston Tea Party, and enlisted the help of some Paiute ‘Indians.’ The emigrants fought back for five days until the Mormon Militia approached with white flags offering a truce. Low on supplies, the travelers accepted and agreed to be escorted to Mormon protection. But once they left their safe haven, they were slaughtered and buried in shallow graves.
Initially, Mormon authorities denied any involvement in the massacre, placing the blame solely on the Paiute. Eventually, they acknowledged the participation of the Mormon Militia, but claimed that the militia acted independently, without orders from Brigham Young, the church's prophet and president at the time. Today, the church maintains a memorial in the meadow to honor those who lost their lives.
9. Burning Man Festival
Mob mentality doesn’t always lead to violence. Take the Burning Man festival as an example. What started in 1986 as a small gathering of friends on a San Francisco beach has grown into a week-long event attracting 50,000 people in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. It’s known as an experimental society, a “temporary metropolis” focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance. The rules are minimal, mainly revolving around environmental considerations and community upkeep, such as parking and appropriate outhouse etiquette.
Naturally, this freedom allows attendees to lose their inhibitions, and it only takes a few brave souls to strip down before the whole crowd follows suit. The pressure to join the group is strong. Imagine being the only one fully dressed while 49,999 others dance nude around the fire. It’s hard to resist the pull of the crowd.
8. The Reign of Terror During the French Revolution
Hand the oppressed a shiny, head-chopping tool (the guillotine), stir up their anger over social injustice, and you’ve got a recipe for around 50,000 executions. But even a continuous flow of beheadings wasn’t enough to satisfy the revolutionaries’ bloodlust. They unleashed various forms of terror: public lashings, firing squads, drowning victims, parading severed heads through the streets, and more. Aristocrats weren’t the only targets—anyone suspected of opposing the revolution was fair game. And trials, when they happened, were usually farces.
It took nearly a year for the people to realize their revolutionary leader had turned into a bloodthirsty fanatic. True to mob mentality, they resolved the issue with one final beheading.
7. Sporting Events
Large-scale sporting events are perhaps one of the clearest examples of herd mentality. Where else do beer-bellied men find it acceptable to stand half-naked, their faces and torsos painted in team colors? Most sports fans wouldn’t behave this way on their own, but when they’re swept up in the crowd, they mirror the collective emotions and actions of the group. Add alcohol to the mix, and anything can happen.
Storming the field and tearing down the goalposts after a football game is a common spectacle, but it doesn’t stop there. In 2011, following the Stanley Cup championship, Vancouver Canucks fans went on a rampage after their team lost to the Boston Bruins. They overturned cars, set fires, hurled garbage at the police, shattered store windows, and looted businesses.
In a more recent example, Egypt sentenced 21 soccer fans to death after they incited a stadium riot that led to 74 deaths and 1,000 injuries. Many of the fatalities resulted from trampling and people falling from stadium balconies. Tragically, the verdict sparked another riot, which left at least 30 dead and over 400 injured.
6. Zip To Zap
While Woodstock is often remembered as the symbol of free love and youthful rebellion, a few months earlier, college students were defying authority in a much more destructive manner at the May 1969 Zip to Zap spring break event/riot.
The chaos began with Chuck Stroup, a North Dakota State University student who was disappointed that he couldn’t make it to the spring break festivities in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Not willing to miss out, he decided to create his own event in the small town of Zap, North Dakota. Thanks to student newspapers nationwide and publicity from the local government, the word spread quickly, and nearly 3,000 beer-hungry college students flooded Zap, whose population was only 250.
The staff at NDSU’s newspaper probably had no idea how accurate their advertisements were, which humorously touted Zip to Zap’s “full program of orgies, brawls, freak-outs, and arrests.” Zap simply couldn’t handle the massive thirst for alcohol, so tavern owners raised their prices in a futile attempt to slow down the drinking. Instead, this only enraged the drunken crowd. When the beer ran out, the students retaliated by rampaging through the town. The North Dakota National Guard was called in to control the riot, which turned out to be quite easy—most of the students were just hungover in the streets.
5. The Holocaust
Looking back at Nazi Germany, it’s hard to grasp how ordinary individuals could commit such ruthless and inhumane acts. Even if we assume the average German didn’t know about the atrocities occurring in the concentration camps, there were still 24,000 members in the 'Death’s Head Unit,' a specialized division of the Schutzstaffel (SS) tasked with overseeing the camps. These members almost certainly knew what was happening. Extreme hatred and anti-Semitism alone aren’t enough to drive someone to commit murder, but when that individual joins a group of like-minded people with leaders urging brutality, mob mentality takes hold.
These 24,000 SS members (and likely many more) surrendered their identities and became part of a deadly machine. At the Nuremberg Trials, former Nazi officials tried to justify their involvement in the atrocities by claiming they were merely 'following orders.'
4. Salem Witch Trials
The 1692 Salem Witch Trials remain a classic example of mob mentality, and while the event has been discussed extensively, it’s still relevant today. This tragic episode highlights what can unfold when religious zealotry and mobs come together. In fact, its impact is so lasting that more than 320 years later, we continue to use the term 'witch hunt' to describe unjust persecution.
You’ve probably heard the tale: a couple of girls began exhibiting strange behavior (fits, hiding under furniture, convulsing, etc.) and claimed that witches were the cause of their 'illness.' They accused certain women in Salem, and when a doctor confirmed the girls were 'possessed,' the already witch-fearing town descended into chaos. Salem officials began arresting women based on the most flimsy of evidence (accusations from young girls), and the townspeople eagerly joined in, celebrating the witches' demise.
Perhaps the most absurd part of the trials were the ridiculous methods used to determine the guilt of the accused. Essentially, anything on a person or in their home could be twisted into 'witchcraft.' A mole or blemish? Clearly a 'witch’s teat.' Own an ointment? Must be witch contraband.
In total, 150 individuals were imprisoned and 25 lost their lives; 19 were hanged, one man who refused to enter a plea was crushed under heavy stones, and five others perished in prison.
3. The Internet
On the web, virtual mobs often target individuals in forums, gathering more followers as they go. This fosters the spread of inappropriate, bigoted, and harmful remarks—things the aggressors would never say face-to-face. Cyberbullying, a significant issue, has devastating real-life effects, with some victims driven to tragic ends like suicide.
There is a silver lining, however. Occasionally, the collective online rage leads to positive outcomes. A notable example is when the controversial SOPA act was introduced, threatening to restrict free speech and impose unnecessary censorship online. From Google to independent bloggers, everyone voiced their opposition, and the fierce backlash made lawmakers realize that such a bill would never be accepted. The people’s uprising succeeded in this instance.
At times, the online mob mentality serves a greater cause. A prime example occurred when the SOPA legislation was proposed, threatening to curtail free speech and enforce unjust censorship. From major corporations like Google to individual bloggers, there was widespread resistance, including blackouts, which ultimately pressured lawmakers to reconsider, proving that the mob can make a difference for the better.
2. Financial Market Declines
Your economics professor might have explained that stock prices fluctuate based on the forces of supply and demand. However, the reality is far more about human emotion—particularly fear and uncertainty. When people feel confident about the economy, stock prices rise; but when rumors of trouble surface, they plummet. Ultimately, it’s a self-fulfilling cycle.
As marketing professor Daniel J. Howard from Southern Methodist University insightfully pointed out, 'Stock market bubbles and crashes are caused by herd mentality. It’s alarming because we create our own heaven, and we create our own hell.'
The problem worsens when the herd constantly seeks advice from 'experts' on when to buy or invest. By the time the crowd catches on, the best opportunities are already gone. The herd remains stuck in a cycle of insecurity, always striving for the top, while letting the mood of the masses distort their judgment.
1. The Second Red Scare
The Second Red Scare, which took place between 1947 and 1957, resembled a modern-day 'witch hunt.' However, this time, the target was alleged communists. Fueled by the paranoid speeches of Senator Joseph McCarthy and others, many in the US believed that communists had infiltrated the government and various sectors of society.
Bizarrely, the few alarmists in government managed to instill such deep fear in the public that most people saw no issue with the government’s extreme actions. It was enough for someone to show any hint of liberal views (not even outright communism) for the 'House Committee on Un-American Activities' or McCarthy’s 'Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations' to justify ignoring the Fourth Amendment. They conducted home invasions, intercepted private mail, eavesdropped on offices, tapped phones, and more—all without any legitimate cause or legal warrant. Remarkably, the public, the President, and even the Supreme Court didn’t object to these violations.
