Running with the Herd

Of course, no one ever truly acts alone and our behavior is both the product of and a catalyst for the actions of others. Life in a democracy, in particular, is about shared decision-making. No individual or mob can impose his, her, or its will on the majority without the risk of completely rupturing the fabric of society itself. Conversely, there are times when the process can be co-opted by a herd mentality of another kind that drowns out the voices and well-being of some in the favor of a majority.

What makes it difficult to know when or where this last dynamic is at work is the fact that the democratic process is a process. It necessarily allows for voices to be heard and decisions to be made over a period of time. The process is what guarantees that listening and deliberation will shape the character of our national life. But, for that reason, it is also a slow, convoluted effort and there is never a time when everyone is satisfied with the results.

The difficulty with the "Occupy Wall Street" movement is that it does not make the effort to participate in that process in a thoughtful fashion. I have yet to hear anyone interviewed who can complete a sentence or speak in anything but glittering generalities. The movement seems to be bent on anarchy. It lacks coherent, constructive goals. It offers no workable alternative to our current economic system. It trades in facile, one-sided, and anecdotal explanations for our current economic struggles. And in addition to the many reasons for which each person is participating, there are also the motives of those who have helped finance and manipulate the movement.

As for Roseanne Barr's ravings one can only name it for what it is—vicious and violent—the language of incitement, not the voice of reason.

Straube's story, then, is a cautionary tale and it should give us all pause. We may not share the motives of the herd and we may not approve of the things said or done in our name. We may even convince ourselves that our motives are pure. But if we feed the herd or run with the herd, then we share responsibility for everything and everyone trampled in the mindless stampede to nowhere.