Mahtab’s review of Among the Thugs > Likes and Comments
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That is definitely a disturbing sociological phenomenon. Strangely it seems like a similar, cascading social dynamic that could result in positive social movements, under the right conditions. I’m reminded of Eric Hoffer’s book The True Believer, which might be interesting for you
path wrote: "That is definitely a disturbing sociological phenomenon. Strangely it seems like a similar, cascading social dynamic that could result in positive social movements, under the right conditions. I’m ..."
While I was reading this, I kept thinking about how much collective energy is being wasted — or worse, funneled into destruction. Buford’s account makes it impossible to ignore the sheer organizational potential inside these groups: the coordination, the shared identity, the rapid mobilization, the willingness to dissolve into a larger force. In another context, those same dynamics are exactly what drive political reform, social movements, and even revolutionary change.
Durkheim would call this phenomenon “collective effervescence” — that moment when individuals merge into a single, highly responsive organism. Historically, that kind of energy has toppled regimes, fueled civil-rights movements, and reshaped entire societies. The mechanism itself is neutral; what determines its impact is the motivation behind it. In Buford’s case, the motivation is little more than adrenaline and spectacle, which makes the wasted potential feel even sharper.
So the book ends up illustrating not only how crowds become violent, but how powerful they could be if their energy were anchored to purpose rather than thrill.
And thank you for bringing The True Believer to my attention, I’ll definitely check it out.
Yes. I like how you have articulated it.
As I think about this some more, I wonder if there are two mechanisms at play here that might both be captured in "collective effervescence." One is the initial impulse that results in emergent social behavior. I'm not sure that is always conscious, sometimes it is just easy to become entrained by another's actions. But then the second mechanism seems to be a reinforcement where the enjoyment of being part of the collective (perhaps tribal, as you rightly say) reinforces both participation in the collective and the integrity of the collective itself.
Interesting stuff. If I wanted to read more on "collective effervescence" what Durkheim would you recommend to me?
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path
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Dec 30, 2025 04:40PM
That is definitely a disturbing sociological phenomenon. Strangely it seems like a similar, cascading social dynamic that could result in positive social movements, under the right conditions. I’m reminded of Eric Hoffer’s book The True Believer, which might be interesting for you
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path wrote: "That is definitely a disturbing sociological phenomenon. Strangely it seems like a similar, cascading social dynamic that could result in positive social movements, under the right conditions. I’m ..."While I was reading this, I kept thinking about how much collective energy is being wasted — or worse, funneled into destruction. Buford’s account makes it impossible to ignore the sheer organizational potential inside these groups: the coordination, the shared identity, the rapid mobilization, the willingness to dissolve into a larger force. In another context, those same dynamics are exactly what drive political reform, social movements, and even revolutionary change.
Durkheim would call this phenomenon “collective effervescence” — that moment when individuals merge into a single, highly responsive organism. Historically, that kind of energy has toppled regimes, fueled civil-rights movements, and reshaped entire societies. The mechanism itself is neutral; what determines its impact is the motivation behind it. In Buford’s case, the motivation is little more than adrenaline and spectacle, which makes the wasted potential feel even sharper.
So the book ends up illustrating not only how crowds become violent, but how powerful they could be if their energy were anchored to purpose rather than thrill.
And thank you for bringing The True Believer to my attention, I’ll definitely check it out.
Yes. I like how you have articulated it. As I think about this some more, I wonder if there are two mechanisms at play here that might both be captured in "collective effervescence." One is the initial impulse that results in emergent social behavior. I'm not sure that is always conscious, sometimes it is just easy to become entrained by another's actions. But then the second mechanism seems to be a reinforcement where the enjoyment of being part of the collective (perhaps tribal, as you rightly say) reinforces both participation in the collective and the integrity of the collective itself.
Interesting stuff. If I wanted to read more on "collective effervescence" what Durkheim would you recommend to me?
