Bringing a crowd together is primarily intended to display a bold, forceful and opinionated stand against something that has gone against what the mob believes to be of significance. The collaboration allows mobs to function well in terms of presenting unified strength. Although the mob's size can shape its appearance, the same attribute can hinder its implementation." Teesta Roy looks at the psyche behind mob violence.
Mobs of any kind represent the aspect of unity. Forming a mass usually demands the alignment of people who support the same ideology that gives foundation to the specific mob they aim to join. If a set of people come together hand in hand, they have the best chance of advancing the grounds of the aspired collective initiative. In most cases, mobs are formed due to protests or disapproval over something sensitive based on their shared beliefs. The reasons for the conflict of interest could range from various issues. However, generally, it summons people affected by religious resistance, varied political opinions, contention against new laws, unpunished serious crimes, etc. It is necessary to note that any mob, no matter what ideology they subscribe to, hopes to bring about change motivated by their sentiments. Consequently, as emotions lay the foundations of mobs, often the crowds manage to entice aggression and end up provoking violence and conflict by their course of approach.
The mode of functioning of a mob has distinct characteristics. In most cases, the strategy is to maximize strength by multiplying the human element, which reveals the full potential of the force. To do so requires following an infallible step-by-step procedure. The first is to devise the exact rationale of the mob and recruit the assemblage accordingly. The second point is to decide whether to take a tough stance or venture into a peaceful demonstration. As most mobs look forward to voicing out against assertive issues, they automatically shift to siding with violence over peace to demonstrate their emphatic presence. Here, the problem arises when the focus is diverted from their cause of resistance to their robust violent conduct. It only further leans to declining the chances of bringing about the change the mob wished for in the first place. Third, it is important to stay focused on achieving the end goal regardless of whether the mob is going through a violent or peaceful tack.
Decoding the actual rationale behind mobs deriving violence as an instrument requires to regard the attribute of sentiments and emotions. Mobs are supposed to represent collective feelings and opinions. Bringing a crowd together is primarily intended to display a bold, forceful and opinionated stand against something that has gone against what the mob believes to be of significance. The collaboration allows mobs to function well in terms of presenting unified strength. Although the mob's size can shape its appearance, the same attribute can hinder its implementation. The issue can further be justified as a genuine worry when the size makes it problematic for the mob to get control over its comprised people. In other words, the size of a mob does not guarantee its competency unless there is sound management promoted for careful concentration to achieve the end goal. Violence only makes the process of expression intricate. Mobs that resort to violence are simply seen for the destruction they make instead of highlighting the cause they advocate. As a result, the subject moves away from an outcome favourable to either the mob or its opposition. Within the fog of violence, the factor of development that the mob craves disappears and loses legitimacy, and fails to attract support from external audiences.
As mobs emphasize emotions as an important aspect of themselves, it is crucial to record that these emotions are primarily manifested as anger, aggression, and rage. Therefore, when a mob turns violent as a response to these feelings, they take concerns into their own hands rather than allowing a fair resolution through law and order. This procedure further goes on to define another very serious facet of mob violence, known as mob lynching. In the cases of mob lynchings, the consequences and aftereffects are quite horrendous. Individuals or a group are thrashed publicly and made to go through every sinister form of torture without owning the chance to defend themselves. The basic immorality behind this move is that those charged and victimized may not even be at fault. In the event that they are actually guilty, then the responsibility for justice should fall on the shoulders of the designated administration, irrespective of the political ideology that the state of the land follows.
Despite their enthusiasm for justice, mobs lack coordination and planning, leading to the violence they erupt. Mob members who endorse violence promote an antisocialistic culture and reject the concept of collective wellness while at the same time terrorizing the fundamental rights of the citizens. A few of the prominent characteristics of mob violence/lynchings are destroying public property, undermining laws and authorities of the state, and eliminating the factor of security from human lives. An incident of this nature not only results in deaths but also creates an atmosphere of moral dilemma among the population. Many people mistake these violent episodes to be an effective way to achieve justice after taking inspiration from them. Provocations such as these also lead to the birthing of several antisocial movements and promote racism against diverse castes, social classes, ethnicities, and religions. Yet, there are concerns that mobs can prove to be influential in bringing about a fair result. For example, organized processions consisting of individuals dedicated to requesting gender equality, environmental sustainability, laws maintaining human rights, etc., have proven to be effective when large groups of people express unity about these stated issues in a civilized and appropriate manner.
Therefore, the main difference between the traits of mob violence and social movement is that one is unorganized, and the other is well-intended and follows legal regulations. Moreover, because mobs often pursue unsecular affairs, own less probability of gaining legal validation, and engage in violence, they generally have a lower success rate to get justice.
However, considering the nature of this offense, mob violence threatens the integrity and values of democratic principles. Thereby, as almost more than half of the nations in the world follow democracy, mob violence seriously jeopardizes the vision for ensuring global peace and preserving human rights. In addition, it militates against the persuasiveness of serious issues that need collaborative efforts to be acted upon.