I find large crowds unsettling. In every gathering of a certain size, there’s a hidden potential lurking beneath the surface; it can manifest into laughter, sorrow, outrage, physical destruction, or... nothing at all. But when something does happen, our collective actions seem to distill into sweeping gestures, granting them far more weight and power than the sum of their parts. The 1992 L.A. riots were a particularly nasty example:



The very idea that a group of free-thinking individuals can somehow tap into a collectively unintelligent subconscious is terrifying, especially if you find yourself on the receiving end of a crowd’s rage. The AP reports that just last night in Austin, Texas a crowd lashed out:

An accident happens; the fun-loving crowd transforms into a feral, bloodthirsty mob. I’m sure alcohol played a part, though details of the altercation are scarce. I wonder if race was a factor? Apparently the driver was able to escape the crowd and has been cooperating with police. The child seems to be ok too, as authorities reported the kid was taken to the hospital with “non-life threatening injuries.”

Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, is the celebration of the day news of the Emancipation Proclamation arrived in Texas, effectively abolishing slavery in the state. It’s a shame to see the festivities tainted by bloodshed, but at the end of the day, as they say, the mob rules.