Ridge...
The calculation depends on the individual.
It can be the calculation of personal harm...but it can also be the calculation of the individual's position within the herd. This position is mostly based on power or "personal power", but it can also be the calculation of an intellectual position.
The individual might start to question the idea itself, and calculate the risks against the idea. If i start calculating my chances of survival, i might start fearing possible outcomes yes ?
The problem here, is that the primary reason an individual will join a mob, IS a calculation to start with...i.e. in numbers, i have a better chance to survive, to get away with it, to not be singled out...etc.
In other words, fear, is almost always the initial motivation.
This fear can be, and most often is...fear of lacking.
Coot brings out this happening in his post about looters. Thousand of years of this fear, primarily the fear of lacking food, safety, power (represented today in objects such as electronics, cars, fancy clothes) etc...As long as some will be lacking, and some will be bathing in "too much", the have not will be opportunistic in their behavior. And what better way to do this than hidden in the middle of a mob, where the risks of getting caught are minimized.
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