One Result of Quarantine: Increased Herd Stupidity

March 13, 2020.

Not a day most people in the United States are likely to forget soon. President Trump issued the “Proclamation on Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak” and in one giant stroke effectively shut down the nation.

Millions of “non-essential” workers returned to their homes, uncertain what the future held. Within a few weeks, new unemployment claims, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, were made.

Confusion. Anxiety. Depression. Panic. Excessive shopping for essentials — and non-essentials. Conflicting information from the media.

The 24-hour news cycle bombarded all of us. Relentlessly. COVID-19, an acronym that didn’t exist prior to mid-November 2019, was suddenly reaching nearly one in seven people across the globe daily; hourly.

Coupled with floods. Fires. Earthquakes. Riots. Looting. Murders that grabbed national attention. Hurricanes. The list goes on.

The rise in mental health challenges specifically related to COVID reached such a level that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention created a special website providing information for people to learn how to cope, and where to go to get help.

The constant bad news started to feel normal, even though we were all like springs being wound to near the breaking point. This was the “new normal”; a phrase that has gained a lot of traction in the media in recent months. There’s nothing normal about it.

Only two people worked in my office at the time COVID crossed the pond. When the shutdown happened, we traded off being in the office and working from home. Roads were emptier during the commute than I had ever seen them. It was like going to the office on a national holiday.

On my very first commute to the office, I noticed how fast people were driving. Where I live, there is a freeway that cuts across the city. The speed limit is 70mph. I set my cruise control at 72mph. As cars passed, I knew they were traveling in excess of 90mph. Cars repeatedly sped up on my rear bumper before violently changing lanes and throwing disparaging looks my way as they passed.

As the months have dragged on, more people have started returning to work. Even as the freeway has started filling in again, people continue to drive at break-neck speeds. Road rage has become the “new normal”; cars continually zipping in and out of traffic in a hurry to get. . .where?

Even as doctors and virologists considered the possibility of herd immunity, an insidious problem hatched and grew rapidly in all the frayed and frazzled dark corners of society: herd stupidity.

Isolation, even for a short period of time, has caused a large number of people to forget how to interact responsibly with others. Where isolation should have caused us to be more considerate and patient, it has caused some people — many people — to essentially lose their social common sense. Some people appear to have lost their minds completely. The springs that were wound so tight finally snapped.

Herd stupidity: when large numbers of individuals act independently and contrary to the well-being of society.

Herd stupidity is at the heart of how a peaceful demonstration can quickly disintegrate into a violent riot. All it takes is a few instigators to stir up a surprising number of people who somehow stop thinking for themselves and do whatever emotionally-driven thing is being done at the time. Herd stupidity also explains why so many millions of people get angry about politics when the vast majority don’t ever take the time to actually explore the issues. Many of those so vocal won’t even exercise their right to vote.

Herd stupidity drives everything done in excess by any group inside an otherwise civilized society.

Excessive toilet paper purchases. Herd stupidity.

Herd stupidity has been around for a long time. Ubiquitous social media channels have just made it far more present in our everyday lives. Social media is the perfect machine to suck people into the herd. Don’t believe me? Look at how rapidly misinformation spreads. That’s herd stupidity social media style.

Three parting thoughts, two of them from my favorite website, despair.com (not an affiliate link):

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups. (Attributed to George Carlin)

None of us is as dumb as all of us.

And, something we say at the office:

You can’t outsmart stupid. The world will always create a better idiot.

Thanks for reading and good luck out there!