A fascinating, and scary, article on the current state of flash mobs. This term once stood for harmless, instantly-formed groups, notified by text messages and email blasts, that showed up a specified spots and danced, had playful snow ball battles, and confused and amused everyone else.
But now, these Flashmobs have turned violent, with a major focal point being Philadelphia. Four incidents of 100+ youths forming spontaneously, running through shopping malls and the city, and attacking each, pedestrians, and vandalizing property. Also of note is that many of the teens participating in it are of African-American descent, with many of the areas of the city hit being primarily white.
In my opinion, this is alarming. There is always power in large groups, and many times, large numbers of youth will become emboldened beyond their normal parameters. I can easily see how this would be a wild and exciting proposition when I was a teenager...just to take part in something, especially if all of your other friends are going to as well. It's purely with the invention of text messaging, social-networks, and instant communication between large groups of people that this is possible. It will also take an innovative solution to bring it under control again.
Read the New York Times link...
Image courtesy of Laurence Kesterson/The Philadephia Inquirer
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