Crowd Control by John Drury Creative Writing

Total Length: 622 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 0

Page 1 of 2



Despite historical evidence, the crowd management science of mathematicians and engineers tends to assume that crowds of people have a herd mentality that precludes crowds using rational judgment. Yet the tragedy of September 11, 2001, tells many stories of people behaving in an orderly fashion, to maximize the chance that more lives would be saved. The media has created an image of 'mob panic' -- such as panic buying at Christmas or before a storm. But during actual times of crisis, people often rise to the occasion. Physical barriers, rather than human panic, tend to cause losses of life during major disasters, such as the Chicago Theater and Coconut Grove Theater Fires of 1903 and 1942.

Psychological virtual reality experiments support such historical examples, and further suggest there is a shift in focus from 'me' to 'we' during times of stress and need. During the London Underground bombings of 2005, charity and altruistic behavior was manifested by many bystanders and victims of the attack.

Stuck Writing Your "Crowd Control by John Drury" Creative Writing?

Instead of blaming the victims for panicking, state the authors, we should celebrate such ordinary heroes who did not panic.

A sense of common social obligation often acts to counteract panic, particularly when people are in the presence of friends and loved ones during disasters. The Chilean Mine accident, after which all entrapped miners emerged alive, saw the miners using all of their various personal capacities to support one another's survival. Another advantage the miners had, as well as being able to rely upon one another, was the knowledge that people were working to ensure their rescue. Access to knowledge and being treated as rational human beings by rescue workers can work to forestall any possible panic that might be manifested by disaster victims. Withholding information is what causes panic, and emergency personnel should treat disaster victims as potential helpers and first….....

Show More ⇣


     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Crowd Control By John Drury" (2011, February 02) Retrieved June 8, 2025, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/crowd-control-john-drury-11448