Mob Rule and Violence in American Culture

Mob rule is defined as a larger number of people acting as one to accomplish a specific goal.  In America, mob rule has shown itself in many different and devastating forms.  Throughout American history, mob rule has taken the form of executing people accused of witchcraft, to riots and a rape culture on contemporary college campus.

One of the most notorious instances of mob culture in America was the incident of the Salem witch trials.  In the case of the witch trials, there was a legal due process that was used to determine innocence or guilt.  However, the unified beliefs of the townspeople overpowered the logic of the law.  The Salem, Massachusetts, community abandoned logic.  Instead of looking at the logic of the law, this community simply followed the mob’s belief and many people were put to death as a result.

The witch trial incidents serve as a very early example of how mob rule can take over and govern a society.  In our contemporary society, mob rule is still a very prevalent phenomena. At the collegiate level it has manifested in the form of a rape culture and rioting.  On college campuses a rape culture is often a central part of the fraternity scene.  Ayres A. Boswell and Joan Z. Spade in “Fraternities and Collegiate Rape Culture,” describe how some environment foster certain types of deviant behavior, such as rape.  They write: “Some environments create a culture that foster the commission of deviant behavior more than others, and all-male groups have been particularly identified recently as being more prone to nourishing sexual attitudes and behaviors.  In particular, fraternities have been linked with the commodification and objectification of women that leads to rape” (175).  The commodification and objectification of women that is promoted in these settings seems to be an example of mob rule that leads to violence in the form of rape.  Having large numbers males holding the same attitudes towards women allows for rape to become common place because sexual conquests are praised and even bragged about in this culture.  This can be seen by walking into numerous fraternity houses during a “keg party.”  The event often entails brothers seeking our their sexual prey, no matter the costs.  One might overhear comments such as “she will be dropping her pants by the end of the night,” when a new female walks through the fraternity house door.

Besides the idea of mob rule showing up in the form of rape culture, there has been another more visible example of mob rule on college campuses.  This is the riots that have been breaking out across the country.  Riots are not a new phenomenon on college campuses, but recent history suggests that they are a growing trend.  For example, the recent fall 2004 riots on the Hill at the University of Colorado demonstrate how a mob rule mentality can turn violent.  What starts as a celebration can quickly turn into a violent rebellion when police authorities show up.  In the case of the riots at CU, a large party was shut down by the police.  This scene then morphed into an angry mob intent upon defying the police.

There are many other instances in which a mob situation has presaged violence riots at campuses across the nation.  In many instances, riots seem to emerge from an extravagant celebration surrounding a school sports team winning a big game.  In these cases there is a large crowd celebrating and one person or a small group becomes destructive.  This initiates a domino effect that leads to mob driven violence.

In the history of America, there have been many different instances of mob rule that have led to violence for many different reasons.  In all of the cases, no matter the setting or situation, a type of mass hysteria determined the outcome, rather than logic.  It is the accepted norms of the culture that encourage people to abandon responsible decision making and follow a group mind that often leads to chaos and unnecessary destruction.

Works Cited

Boswell, Ayers A. and Spade, Joan Z.  “Fraternities and Collegiate Rape Culture.” 

Sociological Odyssey.  Ed. Patricia A. Adler and Peter Adler.  Stanford, CT: Wadsworth, 2001.  175.