The American founders were extremely cautious of setting up a government with too many democratic principles. Why? They wanted to avoid, at all costs, mob rule and the tyranny it brings. So, let’s take a moment today to look at what mob rule is. Because, in case you haven’t noticed, cities around the country are experiencing the bitter ramifications of (intentionally allowed) mob rule.
What does the word “mob” mean? It means, according to Webster 1828: “A crowd or promiscuous multitude of people, rude, tumultuous and disorderly.”
So, now we know that a mob is a tumultuous and disorderly group of people. Madison takes this definition even further when discussing the emotional and irrational actions of the mob. He says:
“A zeal for different opinions concerning religion, concerning government, and many other points, as well of speculation as of practice; an attachment to different leaders ambitiously contending for pre-eminence and power; or to persons of other descriptions whose fortunes have been interesting to the human passions…”
Madison says people have a zeal for different things, whether it be religion, government, the way the government is run, or an attachment to different political or human leaders. These passions “have, in turn, divided mankind into parties, inflamed them with mutual animosity, and rendered them much more disposed to vex and oppress each other than to co-operate for their common good.
So strong is this propensity of mankind to fall into mutual animosities, that where no substantial occasion presents itself, the most frivolous and fanciful distinctions have been sufficient to kindle their unfriendly passions and excite their most violent conflicts. But the most common and durable source of factions has been the various and unequal distribution of property.”
Get that? Madison explains that mankind is so prone to fall into these mutual animosities, that even the most “frivolous and fanciful distinctions … excite their most violent conflicts.” And the crux of it all is property. We all want what we want and will do whatever we can to get that property.
MOB RULE = TYRANNY
Remember, mob rule is always the precursor to tyranny. Greek philosopher Diogenes says, “The mob is the mother of tyrants.” And American journalist P.J. O’Rourke says, “Fascism is very much a mob movement.”
Mobs are made up of emotional and irrational individuals driven by animosity and emotion. Their actions eventually require a strong force to step in and bring order. Take for instance the anarchist state of CHAZ in Seattle, Washington. Their little experiment is eventually going to lead to the need for a strong force to come in and bring order; it is destined to fail otherwise.
And perhaps that is what the Democrats and liberal progressive elites are hoping for. You see, the American citizens who turn to chaos and mob rule are mere pawns in a game. Their emotions and actions are being skillfully and tactfully manipulated and moved about by the elites. Mobs lose all sense of rationality and reason and are therefore easily manipulated.
The progressive elites know this and they know that if they want to have any chance of eliminating the Constitution and taking complete control of the country, they must throw the country into such disarray and chaos that the only remedy is the iron fist of tyranny.
CONCLUSION
Realize that at this point, progressive elites could tell the mob anything and they’d believe it. The mob is not looking for truth. In fact, they are looking for anything but truth. French philosopher Alexandre Koyré sums up a mob perfectly in this quote:
“The mob believes everything it is told, provided only that it be repeated over and over. Provided too that its passions, hatreds, fears are catered to. Nor need one try to stay within the limits of plausibility: on the contrary, the grosser, the bigger, the cruder the lie, the more readily is it believed and followed. Nor is there any need to avoid contradictions [why are the mobs allowed to assemble while the rest of the country is arrested for opening their businesses or going to church?!]: the mob never notices; needless to pretend to correlate what is said to some with what is said to others: each person or group believes only what he is told, not what anyone else is told; needless to strive for coherence: the mob has no memory; needless to pretend to any truth: the mob is radically incapable of perceiving it: the mob can never comprehend that its own interests are what is at stake.”
And that’s just it. The mob’s very own interests are at stake — because tyranny favors no one.
This article originally appeared on The Liberty Belle and is used by permission.
Christin McMasters is a South Carolinian now residing in North Carolina and has a Ph.D. in political science. She is a budding blogger and political science instructor, and her passion is politics.
Using her keyboard as her weapon of choice, Christin imparts some of her excitement, passion and knowledge about American government on her website, TheLibertyBelleNC.com.
Follow Christin on Facebook TheLibertyBelleNC and Twitter @LibertyBelleNC.
