The Pied Piper of Hamelin and Herd Mentality

In the year 1284, in a German town named Hamelin, 130 children were lost. An entire generation, vanished. But why? Legend tells us of a mysterious man in the guise of a savior; a man who comes to the town and claims he can free the town of Hamelin from a terrible rat infestation, for a price. Eager to be rid of this problem, the townsmen agree to his terms.  They watch as this trickster hero leads every rat out of Hamelin by no greater force than the hypnotic song from his pipe, drowning them in the river Weser. The town is free. And this is where the story takes a turn.  The townsmen, blinded by their greed and ungratefulness, break their word and refuse to pay the piper. Finding this offense intolerable, the piper, like a thief in the night, plays one final song for Hamelin — luring the children from their homes and into the mountains where they’re never heard from again.

While there is a vague historical basis for this story, due to the mysterious loss of the children, the Pied Piper of Hamelin is undoubtedly a morality tale. Keep your promises, pay your debts, and don’t allow greed or pride to obstruct your better judgement…or else.  There is a clear cause and effect between the offense of the townsmen and the sharp, cruel retribution of the piper.  But is there a secondary lesson to this story as well, based on the existence of the piper himself?  Could the piper imply there are individuals who, by the sheer power of their song, wield an awesome ability to command a herd — for better or worse?

First, let’s examine how human beings naturally herd themselves.

Herd mentality, also known as mob mentality in its darker and more violent forms, is the human phenomenon where large groups of people adopt behaviors, follow trends and subscribe to ideas in sync with one another.  There are a variety of reasons why psychologists believe this occurs and perpetuates, including deindividuation: a concept in social psychology where an individual loses self-awareness in group situations. And without the guidance of self-awareness, the concept of individuality itself begins to grow very dim.  People, acting as a collective whole, will often find themselves sharing not only ideas, but emotional reactions and physical behaviors.

Researches have discovered it only takes five percent of a crowd (of two hundred or more) to shift the direction, emotion, ideas and actions of the remaining ninety five percent.  And it doesn’t necessarily require charisma, or a great deal of convincing, to become one of the elite. All it takes is direction, purpose, and timing; actions of conviction.

Imagine, then, if the five percent were comprised of dragons: people this website identifies as natural leaders who are not only innately gifted with the ability to create, and the propensity to manifest change, but rightfully belong in positions of guidance.

We believe, as many others do, in merit-based authority and upward mobility.  We believe there is no justifiable place for the practice of favoritism, cronyism, and nepotism — of unearned reward.  We believe wealth, however come by, should not automatically endow the individual who possesses it a position of great influence over the world.  And we believe  if we can come together and organize these ideas, over time, change will invariably follow.

Those with a pipe should be ready to play.

Source Material:

http://psychcentral.com/news/2008/02/15/herd-mentality-explained/1922.html

Comments

comments

• Saved: Ink