collective behavior (ch. 21). collective behavior social forces arising out of the interactions of...
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Collective Behavior• Social forces arising out
of the interactions of large numbers of people and groups
• Looks at the broader socio-cultural environments
• Economic structures• Stratification orders• Technological systems
of communication/transportation
• Family processes• Demographics• Value systems
Why participate?• Felt sense of exhilaration
and power of their unity in numbers
• “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts…”
• http://www.crazyfads.com
Examples of Collective Behavior• The “wave” at a
sporting event
• Religious revivals
• Public religious rituals
• War of the Worlds broadcast (1938)–Collective hysteria
• Windshield-pitting incident in WA (April 1954)–Mass delusion
Early Observations of Collective Behavior
Charles Mackay (British)
• Observed country folks doing things completely out of the ordinary–People had a herd
mentality
Gustave LeBon (French)
• People felt anonymous in crowds, thus felt less accountable for what they do–Development of the
collective mind, people are swept up by almost any suggestion
Early Observations of Collective Behavior
Robert Park (American)
• Collective impulse is transmitted from one person to another in a crowd
• Same thing as collective mind
Herbert Blumer (American
• Identified 5 stages of an acting crowd– Excited group moving
towards a goal– Still dominates police
manuals on crowd behavior
Blumer’s Model of an Acting Crowd• Tension/unrest–Background condition of tension/unrest people
become apprehensive vulnerable to rumors/suggestions
• Exciting event– Event so startling that people become
preoccupied with it
Blumer’s Model of an Acting Crowd• Milling–People standing/walking around, talking about
the event–Pick up cues of the “right” way of thinking/feeling later reinforced in the group
• Common object of attention–Group’s focus on a particular part of the event,
which sometimes can be untrue or highly exaggerated
Blumer’s Model of an Acting Crowd• Common impulses–Group members feel they are in agreement
w/each other on what should be done–Agreement stimulated by social contagion
Occupy Movement – Beliefs• Solidarity –
http://www.nycga.net/resources/principles-of-solidarity/
• Autonomy – http://www.nycga.net/resources/statement-of-autonomy/
• Occupation – http://www.nycga.net/resources/declaration/
• Right to Occupy Space – http://occupywallst.org/article/everyone-has-right-occupy-space-safely/
Occupy Timeline• 9/17/2011–Group organized in Zucotti Park, Manhattan–Known as Occupy Wall Street
• 10/9/11–Had Occupy locations in 95 cities across 92
countries, and 600+ communities in the U.S.• 1/22/12–OccupyTogether lists 2,818 Occupy-communities
around the world
Occupy Videos• Washington DC –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6VmmKrFkaY
• New York City – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpq-moDIkl8
• London – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GvfRjimMT8
Occupy Videos/Hand Signs• Occupy Protocol on
taking care of Nature’s calls – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGC2R428eO4
We Are the 99%• Political slogan used by
Occupy protesters– Refers to vast
concentration of wealth by the top 1% of income earners in U.S.
– Suggest that the 99% are paying the price for the mistakes of the 1%
• 1% = $500,000+/yr. in yearly income
We Are the 99% – True or False? • According to the CBO, b/w 1979-2007– Incomes of U.S.’ top 1% grew by 275%– Incomes of U.S.’ middle 60% grew by 40%
• 2007–Richest 1% of U.S. owned 34.6% of total wealth in
U.S.–Next 19% owned 50.5%
Occupy Movement Goals• Est. a Robin Hood tax– Taxes on range of financial transactions–Affect:• Individual investors• Banks• Hedge funds• Other financial institutions
• Attempt to raise $$$ for international development, protecting the environment, and public services
Occupy Movement Goals• End corrupting influence of money on politics– Tighten banking industry regulations–Ban high-frequency trading–Arrest all “financial fraudsters” responsible for
the 2008 crash– Form a presidential commission to
investigate/prosecute corruption in politics
Occupy Movement Goals• More/better jobs
• More equal distribution of income
• Bank reform
• Reduce influence of corporations on politics
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