A study in psychology

(Reuters) - About 2,000 Afghans protested outside the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan on Tuesday over a report that foreign soldiers improperly disposed of copies of the Koran.

U.S. helicopters fired flares to try to break up as many as 2,000 demonstrators who massed outside several gates to the base, chanting anti-foreigner slogans and throwing stones.

Roshna Khalid, the provincial governor's spokeswoman, said copies of the Muslim holy book had been burnt inside Bagram airbase, an hour's drive north of the capital Kabul, citing accounts from local laborers.

"The laborers normally take the garbage outside and they found the remains of Korans," Khalid said. More here:

Yes, yes ... by all means ... go apeshit. 

That's IT ... that's IT ... they knocked the chip off our shoulder ... YOU ALL SAW IT ... AND NOW, SOMEONE MUST DIE!!!

Jeesh, let's all get in a crowd and harrumph together, shall we?  Yes, I think we shall.  Because, hey, you've insulted our honor ... or something.  You've done SOMETHING to us (even though you haven't really done anything to us,) we make up the "rules" and we say you DID SOMETHING TO US.  And that REQUIRES retaliation.  Why?  Because ... that's why.

This whole mob mindset cracks me up.  They all get together and convince themselves that they must ... they simply MUST go bananas if "X" occurs and then they all sit around and try to convince each other that "X" is about to occur or has occurred (aka - chip has been knocked off shoulder.)

They all know that the others expect them to become so indignant that nothing matters except that someone pay (i.e. die) for this most heinous of transgressions.  Seriously, all rational thought aside, it is time now for conspicuous/public irrational action.  As this is the only way to regain your honor (replace the chip.)

And you can see this mindset in other insane people as well.  For example, prisoners who are murderers have convinced themselves that they are better than rapists and/or child molesters, (grrrrrrr, those child molesters are low, etc.)  They all agree and harrumph with each other over this "fact" (that they, themselves have made up.)

Anyway, people get ALL bent out of shape over certain things that society has convinced them are "important" (but really are not important at all.)  I know several of them.  Can you think of any others?

Many of them really hit home with the bleating sheep.  Baaaaaa - baaaaaaaa