They Are the Herd
Nov 25th, 2007 by Micah Tillman | 3 Comments |
My wife and I were driving home from our parents’ houses (though I guess we were driving home from her parents’ house most immediately) and hit a bit of a traffic jam. Not due to volume, you understand, but due to the fact that people were gawking at the cars that had gotten dinged up and were now in the very expansive median of the four-lane highway.
This, my friends, is why there will never be world peace and diplomacy won’t solve all disputes. Gaper delays show us that too many of us act like herd animals (or like animals, period). The “Oooo! Shiny!!!” reaction shows us that many of us are not in complete control of ourselves, but let our world control us instead.
The same thing happens when you’re sitting in church and a baby starts to cry. Every head turns.
Or when you’re waiting in line at a store, and some customer drops something noisy.
Or when people walk past an open door.
There’s nothing wrong with being an animal. I’m quite proud to be an animal. Those instincts that we have are quite important; they could save your life one day. Reason is more important, of course, but the existence of instincts doesn’t preclude reason. Moreover, a lot of what you appear to be complaining about is simple curiosity. Curiosity is a good thing; it’s how we learn.
I have no doubt that there’s a survival value to it.
But I can’t get over the fact that rubber-necking in all its forms makes people look like idiots.
*grin*
Gawking is my viewing of someone elses misfortune or embarassment to make me feel higher up on the evolutionary chain. It also presents my selfish side which is antiheroic. Rather than staring for entertainment, I should go to the rescue or use words of comfort. Otherwise I am participating in a spectator sport which is frightfully akin to an ancient citizen of Rome watching people being tortured and killed in the ring below.