Crowd Observation

Funny video that I think is relevant to the topic.

"Whoever be the individuals that compose it, however like or unlike be their mode of life, their occupations, their character, or their intelligence, the fact that they have been transformed into a crowd puts them in possession of a sort of collective mind which makes them feel, think, and act in a manner quite different from that in which each individual of them would feel, think, and act were he in a state of isolation. There are certain ideas and feelings which do not come into being, or do not transform themselves into acts except in the case of individuals forming a crowd" (Le Bon)."

I'd like to think that humans in a particular group don't forgo their way of thinking simply because they are a part of a crowd. The rationality of an individual is still there. I disagree with Le Bon's thinking that we essentially reshape ourselves to become a part of collective mind. I think humans become more aware of their surrounding, observing what other people are doing, and become cooperative to some extent.

I was dining with a couple of old friends of mine and we heard a group singing. They were celebrating a birthday and began to sing the birthday song. Instantly one of my friends and other groups within the restaurant chime in. I sort of just just looked around and continued eating, but when the song ended, I joined everyone in clapping to celebrate the birthday person. I was aware of the situation. I wasn't possessed or that my mind changed in a drastic way.

Political Animal or Political Animals is a term used by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle in his Politics to refer to a human being. In his Politics, Aristotle believed man was a "political animal" because he is a social creature with the power of speech and moral reasoning: Hence it is evident that the state is a creation of nature, and that man is by nature a political animal. I do agree that humans are sociable and that we strive for it.