5 Feb 2009  ::  The Mob
I just am settling in to watch Celtics v. Lakers with a bowl of salmon/cucumber/pepper/curry Israeli couscous and Henry's hef (number three in the Henry's line up). The game is just getting into swing and the Boston crowd is shouting "Beat L.A!" already.

I want to be there, for the intensity alone. It is the draw of the mob. The shouting and yelling is a draw, like the draw of the protests I used to watch in Athens and the crowded, smelly dance floor at John Henry's on 80's Night.

So what is the draw of the mob? Riding a mood or emotion that reaches tidal wave proportions in a large group? Feeling a general connection to individuals with like mentalities? The humanity of being with others?

I will never understand sports or crowds. Putting them together makes me want to die. Just seeing them on TV makes me queasy and uneasy. Alcohol tends to fix the problem with the latter, though; I can't comment on the former.

Comment added on 5 Feb 2009 by Liir AKA Your Friendly Neighbo

When I watch sports, I feel a lot like a little kid: I get excited and angry and react as everyone else reacts, but I don't really know why...

Mob mentality is covered in sociology and psychology, I'll look stuff up and send it to you if you really want to know.

Comment added on 5 Feb 2009 by Emily