Photo copyright Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
The thing about a crowd is that you don’t see the whole.
It consists of individuals, sure, but the entity is unknown until you poke it in the tail.
Then you know.
The thing then is… how fast can you run?
Or hide.
Or apologise, which is difficult because apologies need to be tailored to the individual. No universal apology can mollify the entity. That’s how they work.
Tough hey?
Best not to get involved.
Keep your own counsel.
Because sooner or later you may need to pay for one.
So get to know him or her.
It’ll save time.
Thanks as ever to Rochelle for her continued leadership of Friday Fictioneers. Sorry if my contribution is a bit ‘thin’ this week, more of a social observation than fiction, but I’m on the hoof… yet again, and conscious I was MIA last week.
castelsarrasin 
And crowds have their own spirit
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Thanks for reading, Neil.
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Beware the mob mentality. We don’t deal in subtleties these days.
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Thanks for reading, Iain.
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Dear Sandra,
A good piece of advice in this self-centered universe.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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And if you can’t keep a lawyer on tap, best to keep your opinions under wraps. That’s how it is these days. Thanks for reading.
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You call it thin, I think it holds a lot of wisdom, Sandra. Crowds can become mobs without much prompting!
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Can’t they just? Thanks for reading, Jen.
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Deep thoughts, Sandra.
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Thanks, Linda.
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We can’t always help becoming involved. Sage advice, Sandra.
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That’s true. Thanks for reading.
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Nothing thin about this. Even when we try to keep to ourselves, in such large crowds, when a mob mentality hits in a nefarious way, it takes all to try not to be swept along.
This was quite thought-provoking.
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Thanks for reading, Dale.
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What’s scary is when maniacs know how to play to the mob, which has been shown a few times over the centuries, most recently in the US in 2016.
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Thanks for reading.
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You’re very welcome.
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This is so poignant right now. I just finished a 4 week’s class on Imperialism, Divide and Conquer. Right as the class ended, we got into a lively discussion about what’s happening in the USA right now. The instructor promised to offer a class about that. Good take.
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Thanks for reading, Alicia.
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A thoughtful piece that seems to have us all thinking. Well done.
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Thanks, Dawn.
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Excellent piece, Sandra. Who doesn’t know about mob frenzy…
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Thanks for reading, Indira.
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Some interesting insights there, Sandra. Also interesting when you apply them to a crowd with a creed such as a larger church or political movement. There’s that public face and seeming solidarity on the surface but as you say, not always known what really lurks beneath the surface. Even white people think and believe the same thing, there’s still variation because we’re human, not robots.
I came across something recently which really made me think.; My friend’s son recently competed in a ballet competition called the Prix de Lausanne. There was an interview with a choreographer where she mentioned that all the dancers were given a video with the choreography for her dance but when they met up in person there were still variations and no one copied it precisely. I thought that was an interesting insight into how humans think and perceive things versus robots.
Best wishes,
Rowena
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Interesting comment Rowena. Thanks for reading.
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That one person is the spouse, right Sandra?
“No man is an island.”
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Thanks for reading, Anita.
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I take your advise, no mob mentality.
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Thanks for reading.
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Wisewords
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Thanks, Sue.
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Good advice ❤
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Thanks for reading.
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A fun reflection it is, Sandra. I took last week off, too. So, I’ll need a lawyer, you say? 🙂
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Or at the very least a note from your parents… 🙂 Thanks for reading.
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Crowds certainly have their own personalities.
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Don’t they just. Thanks for reading.
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Great advice, don’t upset the status quo or else duck and hide. I enjoyed this, Sandra. So much wisdom here!
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Yes, I think the days of debate are over. Thanks for reading, Brenda.
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Fiction or not you’ve captured the groupthink that seems to override that of the individual. It’s a scary thing.
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I agree. There’s nothing like getting to know an individual.
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