Raving = Lots of People Copying Each Other
June 09, 2009
Appropriately enough, Mark, the Herdmesiter himself, turned me on to this clip last week. It's been popping up ever since.
What does it show us?
That people love to copy other people.
That one person [or thing] can change behavior, if persistent, because it doesn't happen right away, and if the actions, and the copying, are visible to enough people.
That raving, like a lot of group behavior, is lots of people copying each other according to local rules.
That we are far more likely to do something, the more people we see doing it.
[Watch as the crowd increases in size, and then imagine the curve. See?]
[9 out of 10 cats]
That we love to be social, love to be in groups, love to create groups and be involved in their creation, but need something, or someone, to hold the group together.
That's there's something euphoric, and perhaps liminal, in taking part in group behaviours like this.
That raving up hills can be brilliant.