CCA 3

CCA#3

To Gustav Lebon, the term crowd is much more complex than “a group of people.” In “General Characteristics of Crowds,” he prescribes a number of criteria for a group of people to be considered a crowd. One of the conclusions he comes to, is that a crowd is as easily heroic as criminal (Lebon 121). There are several examples of both heroic and criminal crowds in society’s history.

Firstly, Betty Williams, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient became an activist against the political turmoil in Ireland. She created a petition for peace, and organized marches of several thousand people. The first march was disrupted by protestors, yet, despite this, without fear, the second was still organized. This crowd congregated for a specific cause, and it brought awareness to the idea of peace and the consequences of war, which was essentially the goal that Williams was trying to achieve. This is a clear example of a heroic crowd but, a positive outcome is not always the case (Lebon 121).

Conversely, there are crowds which gather for a noble cause, yet easily turn criminal. An example of this is inspired by the Danish cartoons of the prophet Muhammad, which served as a catalyst for many protests that turned violent. It was not long before this crowd, which gathered to show their dismay of the cartoons, turned violent and caused many deaths. This is a demonstration of how easily a crowd can have moral intentions, but turn criminal in the end.
These are only two of the many contrasting examples of the outcome of a crowd in our society. It is important to consider that the crowd can easily go either way, and you must remember, that the next time you agree to be part of a crowd, be sure to be prepared for what you have signed up for.