Tuesday, 27 October 2015

MOB MENTALITY & VIOLENCE: WHAT TO DO IF YOU GET CAUGHT UP IN ONE



Last week, the South African tertiary education student protested against the proposed fee increases. This week, we saw the marching of thousands of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) supporters to the SA Reserve Bank, the Chamber of Mines, and the US Consulate in Johannesburg to put through various demands. Although they have been mainly peaceful, there have been a few cases of looting and public disruption that has been a cause for concern. The concern is that protests such as these can very easily turn violent very quickly. Given our turbulent past, as well as the latest crime statistics, violence is something that we as South Africans have become very accustomed too.  We shed a bit more light on group/crowd/mob mentality, as well as what to do when we come across one. The terms group, crowd and mob will be used interchangeably in this post.

By definition, a group of people is a number of people that are located, gathered or classed together. A crowd is a large number of people gathered in a disorganised or unruly manner. A mob is a large crowd of people, especially one that is disorderly and intent on causing trouble or violence.

Groups can generate a sense of emotional excitement, which can lead to the provocation of behaviours that a person would not typically engage in if alone.  Think of sporting events when the crowd cheers for their team, or boo in unison against the opposition. Many would not do either of these activities on their own; however, because the greater majority is doing so, they feel it is ok to participate in the activity.

A study from the University of Leeds found that it takes only about 5 percent of a crowd to influence the group’s direction, with the other 95 percent following without even realizing what they are doing. There are situations when mob mentality can be a good thing, such as in disasters or other emergencies when large groups of people need to be moved but communication is difficult. However, by the same mechanism, rioting, looting and violence can be triggered by a small number of people.

People tend not to loot and act violently alone. Mob mentality, also known as “de-individualization”, allows people to hide in anonymity, which is why violence and riots are most likely to happen in large groups. People tend to not feel responsible when “everyone is doing it.”

De-individualization is also known as a loss of self-awareness. When people de-individuate, they are less likely to follow normal restraints and inhibitions and more likely to lose their sense of individual identity.

Three psychological theories address crowd behaviour.

First is Contagion Theory, proposes that crowds exert a hypnotic influence on their members that results in irrational and emotionally charged behaviour often referred to as crowd frenzy.

Second is Convergence Theory that argues the behaviour of a crowd is not an emergent property of the crowd but is a result of like-minded individuals coming together.  If it becomes violent is not because the crowd encouraged violence yet rather people wanted it to be violent and came together in a crowd.

Third is Emergent-Norm Theory that combines the two above arguing that a combination of liked-minded individuals, anonymity and shared emotions leads to crowd behaviour. Emergent Norm Theory is related to how many people are involved. It is much more unlikely that someone will get caught if they are doing something in a crowd of 500 than if there are only two people doing it.

Todd Fuist, a Western sociology professor, says if there is no crowd there is no riot. He also says that the reaction of authorities has an effect on the brutality of the crowd’s actions. Resistance from authorities causes resistance in return.

Violent crowds, or mobs, have no respect for society or their victims, however, according to US Forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Michael Welner, they are selfish enough to be sensitive to shaming themselves or their loved ones.

There are some group characteristics that increase the likelihood of violence, such as group size and physical anonymity -  First, many people believe they cannot be held responsible for violent behaviour when part of a mob because they perceive the violent action as the group’s (e.g., “everyone was doing it”) rather than their own behaviour. When in a large group, people tend to experience a diffusion of responsibility. Typically, the bigger a mob, the more its members lose self-awareness and become willing to engage in dangerous behaviour.  Second, physical anonymity also leads to a person experiencing fewer social inhibitions.  When people feel that their behaviour cannot be traced back to them, they are more likely to break social norms and engage in violence. 

So, what should you do if you come across a mob? Here are 10 mob survival tips that you could consider when faced with one:

1. Remain calm. Mobs bring intense emotions boiling to the surface, but if you want to survive one you'd be better off keeping your own emotions in check. Your adrenaline and survival instincts will kick in, but strive to think rationally and pursue safety methodically.

2. Keep your loved ones close. Sticking together with your loved ones should be your first priority. The second is finding a way out.

3. Don't get involved. If you're caught in a mob, the last thing you want to do is try to take sides, help out, or stand out. In fact, you should stand out as little as possible as you move to the outside of the mob and away from the action. To do this, stay close to the walls and other barriers, though avoid bottlenecks, or any areas where a lot of people are squeezing through a small space.

4. Avoid All Law Enforcement. This seems counter intuitive; however, the police have no way of knowing whether you’re a threat or someone who just got caught up in the chaos, so rather avoid them if possible.

5. Move away from the mob as calmly as possible but go with the flow. If you're on foot, you should move away by going with the flow of foot traffic, not against it. If you go against the flow, you're much more likely to stand out, to get stampeded, or just to get pushed or blocked. Think of the crowd as a large raging river. The best way to get out of a river is to swim with the current and slowly make your way to the edge. The same is true when stuck in the middle of a crowd. If you feel that you may fall down in the big crowd and get trampled, use your elbows to push down on the crowd so that it carries you. Though you may want to run for your life, you should move calmly and relatively slowly.

7. Move to a safe enclosed area. Mobs most commonly happen outside on the streets, not inside buildings. Just by moving inside a sturdy and controlled building, you can protect yourself from the brunt of a mob.

8. Don't use weapons unnecessarily. If you are armed with a weapon of some sort, think twice about pulling it out in the middle of a riot. A weapon can cause the mob to turn on you and overpower you, even if you have a lethal weapon. Only consider using your weapon if you are being directly attacked or targeted. Use unarmed self-defence techniques only when required.

If you are in a vehicle, here are some additional precautions:

9. Avoid heavy-traffic areas. To maximize your chances of safety, you should avoid the areas that are most likely to be crowded and show stay off the beaten path so you don't put yourself in a dangerous situation. Even if the heavy-traffic areas are your quickest path home, they won't be safest path if they are the targets of any violent mobs.

10. Drive appropriately. Unless your car is the focus for the angry mob in the riot, you should stay in the car and continue driving as calmly as possible. Try to keep to the streets that are clear of mobs, and avoid the main roads that are more likely to be occupied. Keep moving forward and don't stop to assess the situation. If someone tries to block your car, honk your car and keep driving until he gets out of the way (of course, this doesn't mean you should hit the person.) Drive at moderate speed so they have time to back off and realize that you mean business.

11. Stay informed. Use the social media to alert you as to where to stay away from, as well as the local radio and news. Messages informing you of which streets and areas are currently being targeted provide you with instantaneous warnings of where to avoid.

To conclude, group/crowd/mob mentality is a very powerful force that many normal, law-abiding citizens have been seduced into doing things they would not normally do, such as looting, public disruption and inciting violence. We, as self-defence practitioners, need to not only safe-guard ourselves against the allure of joining this force, but to also ensure that we are adequately prepared, should the crowd's discipline deteriorate and we get caught up in the middle of it. 

Till next time, be safe out there.

Get EDUCATED. Feel EMPOWERED. Live a fully-ENGAGED life.

A special report of the South African 2014/2015 Crime Statistics is still available to download here:  http://infinitydefence.com/freespecialreport-sa-crime-stats-2014-2015b/


Resources:

"The Psychology of Mob Mentality and Violence": http://www.drwendyjames.com/the-psychology-of-mob-mentality-and-violence/








To see some of the protesting crowds in South Africa for the last 2 weeks:

A student confronts UCT protesters about white privileges: https://www.facebook.com/IOLnews/videos/10154259705143625/

National protests against student fees begins: https://youtu.be/8yCC8H4DA-4









 Download your free report now!

Thursday, 15 October 2015

WHY IS SOUTH AFRICAN CRIME SO VIOLENT?



"A violent offender who engages in armed violence presents the danger to others, and is what gives the current epidemic of violent crime in SA its most malevolent edge."

The South African 2014/2015 crime statistics were released on 29 September 2015 by the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Murder, as defined by the South African law as the unlawful and intentional killing of another human being, had increased yet again. There were a total of 17805 murders over the period 1 April 2014 and 31 March 2015. This translates to almost 49 murders per day. 

Furthermore, there were almost as many attempted murder cases (17537), the unlawful act with the intention of killing another human being but which does not result in the death of that human being, which in turn works out to 48 people per day.

To put it into perspective with the rest of the world, the murder rate per 100 000 was 33, five times higher than the 2013 global average of 6,2 murders per 100 000. In 2012, the South African murder rate per 100 000 was 31. 

For other countries, the murder rates indicators are (as per the World Banks's 2012 data) as follows:
- Australia (1,1)
- Brazil (25,2)
- UK (1)
- New Zealand (0.9)
- SIngaore (0.2)
- USA (4.7)

The reason this murder rate indicator is so important is that the murder number reported is probably close to the actual number committed and is an indicator of a country’s stability – the higher it is, the less stable a country is likely to be.

This high murder rate and attempted murder rate is an indication of the deadly violence used in SA crime.

But why is this so?

In February 2007 the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation was asked by the South African government to carry out a study on the violent nature of crime in South Africa. The study resulted in the production of seven reports completed over the period June 2007 to April 2009. Out of those reports, 5 main reasons were established:

1. A problem of armed violence linked to a subculture of violence and criminality
Many young men in South Africa have resorted to a "criminal career" that ranges from individual rapists and robbers, to being part of a larger crime syndicate or groups. Furthermore, in order to maintain credibility in this "profession", they have to resort to using extreme violence when carrying out their crime, very often with a weapon of sort (a knife and/or gun).

2. Inequality, poverty, unemployment, social exclusion and marginalisation. 
Unfortunately, many of these social issues are still very prominent within the South African society. Research has shown that societies with high levels of inequality tend to have high levels of violence, and hence directly increases the rate of crime.

3. Vulnerability of young people linked to inadequate child rearing and poor youth socialization. 
The childhood experiences of many children and young people in South Africa involve multiple levels of adversity including poverty, unstable living arrangements, absent, indifferent or violent fathers and alcohol or other substance abusive parents or relatives. Research has shown that these conditions could increase a child's probability of become involved in criminality and violence later on in life.

4. Perceptions and values related to violence and crime. 
Over the years, due to political and social issues, South African's have become very ambivalent towards crime and the law. Furthermore, perhaps due to the frequency of violence in our communities, a belief has come about that violence is a necessary and justified means of resolving conflict or other difficulties.

5. Reliance on the Criminal Justice System (CJS). 
There has been a heavy reliance on the CSJ, which has unfortunately become plagued with inefficiency and corruption. Because of this, the SA prisons are not conducive for criminal rehabilitation; they worsen the behaviour of the inmates and consolidate their place in a criminal network.

On point 4, Dr Chandre Gould, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), further clarifies that because of the South African political history, there was little reason prior to 1994 that South Africans would respect the law. This was because the law were unjust and intended to entrench white domination. In addition, the security forces, particularly the police, were used by the state to ensure that all South Africans lived in in fear of the state, regardless of their race.

Dr Goud further states that while our laws have substantially changed for the better post 1994 as our Constitution protects the rights of all South Africans and establishes the principle that all are treated equally before the law, in practice this has been very difficult to achieve. It would seem that those with access to wealth and power have greater privileges in a court of law than those who don't.

Unfortunately, violence and crime in South Africa seem to go hand in hand and is one of those reasons that many South Africans have fled to other less violent and crime-infested countries.

As a South African living in South Africa, I feel it is our responsibility to take the necessary precautions to ensure we safeguard ourselves and our loved ones against this violence and crime. Many will do so by employing additional security at their homes and business such as high-walls, electric fences, CCTV cameras, armed-response, and so on - it is the South African way. However, should someone ask me what security measure they should implement for themselves, I would recommend training in some practical self-defence system, so that should anything happens, they would be able to take care of themselves and their loved ones.

Given all that has been written so far - crime stats, research and precautionary advice - it is very easy to become extremely fearful or frustrated with the current situation and could even lead to paranoia. 

This is why self-defence training is so vital. Self-defence training gives one the ability to manage those fears and frustrations. Furthermore, with consistent training and application, it builds 3 vital characteristics in the practitioner, namely, self-confidence, resilience and discipline. All this training provides a foundation for one to be able to live their life to the fullest. For South African's who want to make a difference in this country despite its crime issues, they cannot afford to let their potential be wasted because of it. Hence, this foundation that self-defence training can provide is vitally important to help them move forward in their mission.

For a more comprehensive look at the 2014/2015 SA Crime Statistics, download the FREE REPORT by clicking HERE.

Till next time.

Get EDUCATED. Feel EMPOWERED. Live a FULLY-ENGAGED life.

Reference:


 https://www.saps.org.za 

https://www.issafrica.org/crimehub/uploads/CSVRstatement091110.pdf
https://africacheck.org/2014/09/17/comment-why-is-crime-and-violence-so-high-in-south-africa-2/