Why do you think people smash windows and set stores on fire?

You’ll notice there’s a lot of looting going on. A lot of the anger and arson and destruction goes together with the looting – so it might be distract the police. But in general, angry protestors who are violent – well – what’s to understand? People come in all kinds of psychological packages, right?

In Israel, the biggest anti-government protest in its history – on Saturday – passed without a single incident. In fact – there weren’t much police. And believe me – there is built-up anger towards the government – and it’s about cost of living. About 300,000 people – 5% of the total population in one area.

I do not understand violent protests – never have. But then I don’t get grafitti and littering either.

It’s the animal in all of us.

Some people can control it…....others cannot.

They wait for the right opportunity to “get high” on other peoples property and misery.

@john65pennington You call it “the animal,” but I don’t think animals gratuitously lay waste to their environment. Perhaps you mean a kind of anti-social feeling in all of us that makes us feel good? Why would that make people feel good? Is there a reason for the anti-social feeling, or is it just there? If so, why would we be evolved with such an impulse?

I never understand destroying property. I guess when it is very targeted in retaliation I can understand it, like keying your exboyfriends car because he cheated on you and he just loves that car beyond everything. Maybe the people who destroy store front windows, and light tires on fire in the streets, and other destructive acts, are getting back at the unfair community they live in in their perception? Or, a lashing out against the lack of control they feel over their life. A way to be heard when people are not listening.

@john65pennington I hate to think there is just some sort of animal side that comes out for no reason, just random destructive energy?

It feels to me like a reaction by people who feel that they can’t win at the game that society has set up. They look at the “rules” of the game—what it takes to achieve acceptance and status via the orthodox routes—and they judge that those rules are stacked against them in a way that will make it impossible to ever be a successful player. So their reaction is to just kick over the game board.

Or, it could simply be that once in awhile it’s fun to Fuck Shit Up.

Suddenly my mind flashed to the recent question Simone asked about her son damaging his great aunts property, and what should be his punishment. He stated he was angry at her, and so he lashed out in anger. He had forgotten his other alternatives to handle his anger. Maybe the people who do this don’t know a different way. They don’t underatand the system and how to work inside of it, and have not been taught the patience to go about it in a better way, or that they will have more success in the long term being respectful and calm.

@FutureMemory See, that I don’t understand fun to fuck shit up. It is never fun to me. their might be a moment of satisfaction getting revenge, but fun, I would never describe it as fun.

In 1968, Nashville had civil riots that were justified. Police officers were injured, civillians were injured. It was not a pretty sight. We could understand why the African Americans were rioting, but we could not understand why the white people were destroying personal property across town. At that time, we could not establish a link between the two. It was finally determined, that it was a “copy cat” or animal instinct in the white people, to reach their “high” of watching burning buildings and all people suffer.

I know. I was there.

@JLeslie I don’t find it fun either, but some people do.

It’s not the thing to do when the Bulls win the championship? Huh, go figure.

I’m surprised no one has mentioned herd mentality. Sometimes it seems the more people get together the dumber they become.

Whenever stories like this crop up in the news, it reminds me of the Stanford Prison Experiment.. It was to be a two-week study on the psychological behaviors of people acting in a simulated prison situation where some were the prisoners and the others were the guards. A riot broke out after Day 1, and the experiment only lasted six days.

The results of the experiment are said to support situational attribution of behavior rather than dispositional attribution. In other words, it seemed the situation caused the participants’ behavior, rather than anything inherent in their individual personalities.

People get caught up in the situation. The anger of the topic at hand and feeding off of the emotions of the crowd can be hypnotic for some. I’m also amazed at how many people rationalize their actions. For example, the co-worker that justifies stealing office supplies or embezzling because they aren’t treated right in their mind.

@FutureMemory You may be on to something with the “fun” aspect. One of the top rated hotels in our chain had a situation where the office copier rarely worked, and it was causing a tremendous amount of frustration. When the owner finally broke down and approved funds for a replacement, the manager took the old one out into the back parking lot and provided protective goggles and a sledgehammer for the staff to go at it.

Where the line gets crossed is when a person gets their jollies from causing damage that impacts others. There was a kid up the street that started several fires in the woods that came really close to neighborhood houses. I doubt that this type of person is the one that starts these riots. They prefer to keep their obsession with destruction private.

Or maybe it is just an attempt to create a newsworthy scenario to support their side. Not the best way to go about it IMO, but it does show up in the media.

Whenever the criminal element in a city see an opportunity to steal and destroy they take it.

I agree with the herd mentality, mass hysteria theory. Someone starts and it is like dominoes falling. I would wager the people stealing flat screen tellys already have one at home.

It’s crazy but what puzzles me is what do you do when it is over and you catch the ones who lit the fires. Prison feeds the fury, no punishment is laughable, community service might do the trick, but there probably aren’t enough cops to police it. Chain gangs on the street maybe? Somedays I am not unhappy I am old, the world seems to be getting crazier by the day.

There are so many people in prisons for non violent crimes. If there could be a way to get them out and reserve the space for the really bad guys we could keep them in there longer. There will always be people who will just never be able to live among us ever. Rehabilitation would be a waste for them.