So I stumbled upon this last week.  Basically 6 improv actors go to a Knicks game.  One of the actors goes for snacks and gets lost trying to find his way back.  His friends see him looking at the stands and start calling to him, trying to get his attention.  Slowly the entire section gets in on it, as he cluelessly walks around, with that desperate searching look on his face.   The people who commented on the entry seem to have thought it was entertaining and sweet.  That it brought out the best in people.

I do not agree.  I think the fact that we look at each other and jump on the bandwagon is embarrassing.  This mob mentality is exactly what happens every four years when we vote in new presidents.  Too few of us take the time to do the research and come to an independent decision.  When we raise our kids we try to talk to them about evaluating situations fairly and coming to our own conclusions. And then we jump up and down and participate in the wave at sporting events.  Because everyone else was doing it.  (Sure, the wave is harmless, but still.)

And do you not think that the entire section, after all the hugging and cheering at the end of that video, feels just a little duped by the “hoax” that they participated in?  Y’all remember the public’s response to James Frey and his Million Little Pieces, right?

Whether its jumping up and down trying to get someone’s attention or jumping into the act in a violent gang rape, the mentality is the same:  when in the middle of an enthusiastic crowd, humans are less likely to go against the grain.