Sticky situations you have been in

[Grumpy]

"Hi Grumpy,
I am not here to prove any thing or gain any sympathy. I just feel that guns if not used justifiably and/or if you are not lucky may not always be the way out. If you feel the part was concocted please check the links below. The last link takes you to the archives of the telegraph. Just google "LOCKOUT IN RIOT-SCARRED TEA GARDEN" and you will have the story of my friend"

Eh ? I should go back and read what I asked cocker:

"So, of course, now I`m wondering if any of your story is true or was it all just an elaborate set-up for your diabolical sense of humour ?

That`s a pair of questions - nothing else.

[mundaire]

Pran/ TenX,

Do check out The Psychology of Crowd Dynamics by Stephen Reicher. The link is to a PDF file, this article makes interesting reading as he examines several of the existing theories of collective behaviour, including the most famous of them all by Le Bon.

I think you'll find the article quite illuminating as to mob behaviour...

Cheers!
Abhijeet

[Pran]

Thanks Abhijeet.

[penpusher]

On the day anti-sikh riots broke out in India,one of my father's friends,a Superintending Engineer in the Punjab State Electricity Board,was on his way to Delhi.His driver was a Sikh.His car was stopped by a mob and the driver was pulled out.As they were about to lynch him,my father's friend took out his revolver and holding the drivers arm with the other,pulled him back into the car,threatening to shoot anybody who came near.They were able to get back to Chandigarh without any further incident.That day,the fact that he himself was a Hindu had no meaning.What was more important was to save the life of his employee and a fellow human being.He passed away some years back.May his soul rest in peace.The mere threat of being shot,worked. Off course every situation would be different.

[TenX]

Pran/ TenX,

Do check out The Psychology of Crowd Dynamics by Stephen Reicher.

This is a very nice write up. I will go thru this. Thanks so much.

[dev]

As the song says," Go down in a blaze of glory..."
On street fights specially empty hand ones we had been taught to hit the first guy really hard, in fact a bloody nose really helps. But the problem is that if it just a wild mob, they'll probably scatter with the sound of a firearm, a mob that is led by politicians etc. and the participants are those serving life sentences. Then somebody really in big dodoo. That is the kind that rampaged during the Gujarat riots and all.

I just hope that no one has to face the tea garden mobs. They are a very determined bunch that is used to using their choppers at the drop of the hat.

Dev