As individuals, we have a lot of power, but when we come together, we are nearly unstoppable. Howeverrrrrrr, that doesn't always mean the thing we unite for is actually for the greater good.
Knowing this to be true, Reddit user Afraid_Cake_8167 recently asked the internet to weigh in, prompting, "What’s the best real-life example of George Carlin’s quote: 'Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups'?" Some of the answers I for sure expected, but others made me go, "OMG, wait, you're actually so right."
1. "Every Black Friday sale. People trampling each other for a toaster."
2. "Sports riots. 'Hey, look, our team lost, let's destroy some property and beat people up!' Oddly, it happens during wins as well."
—u/f_ranz1224
3. "The Salem Witch Trials. Dozens of innocent people were murdered with the full consent and approval of the community. What makes it worse is that even now, people say things like, 'They hung witches. It was awful.' They didn't hang any witches. There weren't any witches. Same with European witch trials. They just burned women they didn't like and couldn't control."
4. "Superfans who blindly follow celebrity idols no matter what they do and defend them."
5. "I'll answer after the TikTok Rapture happens."
—u/TomatoFeta
6. "US elections. Once, when Adlai Stevenson was campaigning to be president, a woman in the crowd shouted, 'All the smart people are voting for you, Senator!' His response, 'That’s great, ma’am, but I need a majority to win.'"
7. "People on mass transit. I swear it just gets worse and worse, and it doesn't matter if it's a bus, train, ferry, or plane.
8. "Flat Earthers. Most of them are just religious fundamentalists who have fallen down a conspiracy rabbit hole and made being contrarian about the shape of the Earth a centerpiece of their faith. This is why talking to them feels like arguing with a brick wall. As much as they try to dress it up in scientific language, this is really a matter of faith to them, and no amount of evidence or reasoning will sway them."
—u/ineguire
9. "For me, the best real-life example, hands down, was the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020. Think about it. There was no actual shortage. The supply chain was fine, and the factories were running. But a few people got spooked, started hoarding, pictures went viral, and then millions of otherwise sensible people collectively lost their minds and created a real crisis out of thin air."
10. "Every time a pyramid scheme blows up in a small town. One person falls for it, then suddenly half the town is selling the same miracle coffee that cures everything. Next thing you know, everyone’s broke but still convinced they’re one recruit away from becoming a millionaire."
—u/mildraii
11. "Social media echo chambers. It’s scary how quickly misinformation can spread when a large group reinforces each other without questioning facts."
—u/lets_go_45
12. "I went to a concert with a friend, and we were there when the venue opened. The line to get in was already super long. We walked past it, and there was another window open with a guy just sitting there. We handed him our tickets and walked right in."
13. "The whole cryptocurrency craze."
—u/No_Hat7946
14. "People involved in religious violence."
—u/The_Orgin
"People forget about the crusades, the inquisition, witch hunts, forced conversions (and the associated murders) of indigenous people in just about every corner of the world. These are only a few examples of just Christian-led brutality because that’s the part of world history I’m most familiar with, but there are examples that stretch across effectively every religion. It is NOT specific to any religion in particular. Religion is a powerful tool capable of controlling people and making them do dangerous and violent things, precisely because they believe they are truly doing the right thing in that moment."
15. "The 2008 financial crisis stands out. Millions of individual homeowners, loan officers, bank executives, and rating agency analysts all made decisions that seemed rational in isolation but collectively created a massive bubble. Each person thought they were being smart — flipping houses, approving 'NINJA' (no income, no job, no assets) loans, and packaging toxic mortgages as AAA securities."
16. "Our lack of response to climate change."
17. "Viral TikTok challenges. People risking life and limb for 15 seconds of fame, all because they saw everyone else doing it."
18. "Most moral panics fit in here. The Satanic panic, the ninja panic, various violent/fantasy video game panics, razor blades and drugs in Halloween candy, The Simpsons destroying American culture and values. These things can be fascinating to look into, because they're almost always based on outright lies or gross exaggerations, and it almost always seems incredibly silly when you actually learn the truth about what people are flipping a shit over."
—u/Nurhaci1616
19. And finally, "Gestures wildly!"
Can you think of any other problematic examples of "power of people in large groups?" Let me know in the comments or the anonymous form below! Your response may be used in an upcoming BuzzFeed article!
Note: Responses have been edited for length/clarity.