# What would you do if an angry mob demands you raise your fist in support? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 26, 2020, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071 "2020-08-26T14:49:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![urbanredneck2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/5f8ce5/32.png) [@urbanredneck2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urbanredneck2)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/121 "2020-08-27T19:48:38Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Given the hysteria evidenced in the video, though, I doubt I could have made those things clear without being shouted into inaudibility, so maybe I would have just stuck my fist in the air so that the assholes would move on. That makes sense. What I would worry about is if the mob starts getting even more cocky with making everyone go along with them, or else, what else might they do? If you listen in the background their were shouts of “shut it down”. I would like to have seen more video of more of the diners and did others raise their fists? Also how long did this last and did the mob just move on after a few minutes? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/122 "2020-08-27T21:08:50Z")
An angry, irrational person with an angry mob behind them screams in someone’s face , and people here are denying that the person being screamed at might find it threatening. YOU might not find it threatening, but I can’t guarantee that I wouldn’t. If nothing else, it would create enough of an angry reaction from me that I might do something counterproductive out of anger or fear. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/123 "2020-08-27T21:26:31Z")
Actually, what I should have said, is urbanredneck2 really needs to get off the internet. His constantly finding insignificant things to get recreationally outraged over is really getting tiresome. Dumb self-righteous people sometimes do stupid shit. News at 11. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/124 "2020-08-27T22:09:44Z")
> [@urbanredneck2](#): > > No, check again. Their is video. Actually 2 of them. And the 2nd one shows 2 other guys being attacked and this time the BLM person was black. “Their” is a word that means “it belongs to them”. The word “there” is for referring to a real or virtual place. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/125 "2020-08-27T23:35:26Z")
> [@urbanredneck2](#): > > That makes sense. One of the things I like people to do when they quote me is to quote me. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/126 "2020-08-28T01:46:37Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > “Angry mobs that yell at people and get in their face should be arrested! This BLM stuff is awful and next week they’ll be demanding money from people!” I’ve had people demand money from me long before there was ever a thing like BLM. Anyway, with something like 30 million people unemployed in the past few months, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we see a lot more people demanding (or at least asking for) money from people. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/127 "2020-08-28T03:06:04Z")
Same thing I do when a mob demands that I stand while a warrior sings “God Bless America” – I obey half-heartedly with no show of enthusiasm. ---
**Author:** ![urbanredneck2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/5f8ce5/32.png) [@urbanredneck2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urbanredneck2)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/128 "2020-08-28T13:20:09Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Actually, what I should have said, is urbanredneck2 really needs to get off the internet. His constantly finding insignificant things to get recreationally outraged over is really getting tiresome. > > Dumb self-righteous people sometimes do stupid shit. News at 11. And it’s wrong to discuss it? Seriously. Their have actually been some well thought out and interesting replies to this thread. Why are you wanting to stop it? ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/129 "2020-08-28T14:50:30Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > An angry, irrational person with an angry mob behind them screams in someone’s face , and people here are denying that the person being screamed at might find it threatening. YOU might not find it threatening, but I can’t guarantee that I wouldn’t. If nothing else, it would create enough of an angry reaction from me that I might do something counterproductive out of anger or fear. So your claim is that if an angry, irrational person with an angry mob behind them screams in someone’s face, then a reasonable person would find it threatening, and that such behavior should be illegal, and perhaps even bad enough to justify shooting the person? So, like Urbanredneck2, you think that the Democrats should lead the way in making such activity illegal, and aren’t going to be upset when the vast majority of the ‘arrested for screaming in someone’s face’ incidents turn out to be anti-abortion protestors, as that behavior is routine from them? The fact that conservatives get themselves all up in a tizzy over two isolated incidents that are related to BLM, but completely ignore decades of the same action related to anti-abortion activity is really, really telling. I don’t believe that any of the complainers think that this behavior should actually be illegal, they just want some people who support BLM arrested. The fact that they claim it is ‘whataboutism’ to discuss other groups that would be directly affected by the legal changes they advocate is pretty telling. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/130 "2020-08-28T15:02:37Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > > [@needscoffee](#): > > > > YOU might not find it threatening, but I can’t guarantee that I wouldn’t. If nothing else, it would create enough of an angry reaction from me that I might do something counterproductive out of anger or fear. > > So your claim is that if an angry, irrational person with an angry mob behind them screams in someone’s face, then a reasonable person would find it threatening, and that such behavior should be illegal, and perhaps even bad enough to justify shooting the person? So, like Urbanredneck2, You have completely put words into my post that aren’t there. **Show me where I said it should be illegal.** I answered the question “how would I react”. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/131 "2020-08-28T15:16:49Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > You have completely put words into my post that aren’t there. **Show me where I said it should be illegal.** I answered the question “how would I react”. OK, so is your position that you disagree with the people who think that such actions should be illegal and/or justification for use of force, and that you don’t think the law should be changed such that people can be arrested for similar circumstances? If that’s the case, then I definitely interpreted your post incorrectly. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/132 "2020-08-28T19:51:25Z")
> [@urbanredneck2](#): > > I would like to have seen more video of more of the diners and did others raise their fists? Also how long did this last and did the mob just move on after a few minutes? If we look at the WaPo cite from post #[57](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/919071/57), we can infer that they marched along 14th St at least between Colombia Rd and Quincy St, a length of about 0.7 miles. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/133 "2020-08-28T19:54:31Z")
Perhaps you misunderstand or quoted the wrong post, because Ms. Victor did _not_ obey the protestors. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/134 "2020-08-28T20:13:11Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > > [@needscoffee](#): > > > > You have completely put words into my post that aren’t there. **Show me where I said it should be illegal.** I answered the question “how would I react”. > > OK, so **is your position that you disagree with the people who think that such actions should be illegal and/or justification for use of force, and that you don’t think the law should be changed such that people can be arrested for similar circumstances?** If that’s the case, then I definitely interpreted your post incorrectly. And now I’m supposed to pledge agreement with you on a statement I never responded to in the first place??? I was ONLY responding to the people in this thread who are trying to claim that nobody should have felt threatened by what other people here clearly have said they’d find to be frightening behavior. You’ve put words into my mouth and accused me of things I never said. You have no idea how I feel about the legality of the situation, because I NEVER BROUGHT IT UP. It has nothing to do with **how I would feel if I were placed in that situation**. You _really_ need to work on your reading comprehension skills. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/135 "2020-08-28T20:27:37Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > And now I’m supposed to pledge agreement with you on a statement I never responded to in the first place??? > > I was ONLY responding to the people in this thread who are trying to claim that nobody should have felt threatened by what other people here clearly have said they’d find to be frightening behavior. You’ve put words into my mouth and accused me of things I never said. You have no idea how I feel about the legality of the situation, because I NEVER BROUGHT IT UP. It has nothing to do with **how I would feel if I were placed in that situation**. > > You _really_ need to work on your reading comprehension skills. It is as if he got in your face and demanded loudly that you acknowledge and agree, regardless of your feelings, that he is well within his right to do so. Seems a sound argument strategy to me. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/136 "2020-08-28T20:27:52Z")
Regarding the video, some people behave like animals, it’s very disheartening. These wannabe tyrants should be disowned by BLM. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/137 "2020-08-28T20:36:46Z")
People in mobs behave badly sometimes. The behavior should certainly be acknowledged and discouraged by BLM protesters. I imagine that it might be addressed as crowd gather for the march by reminding people that the objective is not to destroy property or intimidate bystanders. There seem to be always bullhorns present so I’m guessing setting the ground rules early and often might prevent some of this behavior. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/138 "2020-08-28T20:39:20Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > The fact that conservatives get themselves all up in a tizzy over two isolated incidents that are related to BLM, but completely ignore decades of the same action related to anti-abortion activity is really, really telling. If you want to link me to a topic about anti-abortion protest tactics, I will be glad to give you my opinion on that. And then, if I contradict my opinion presented here, I will look forward to reading the Pit thread on my own hypocrisy. Of course, I can’t speak for any “conservatives” except myself. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/139 "2020-08-28T20:44:45Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > These wannabe tyrants should be disowned by BLM. Some BLM affiliates have done that but not recently; Google can’t seem to find anything since June. ---
**Author:** ![redhook77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f19dbf/32.png) [@redhook77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redhook77)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071/140 "2020-08-28T22:34:26Z")
Middle finger salute and tell the Marxist’s to piss off, if they continue to get in my face screaming I would shove them away and dial 911. at that point if they decide to go through with their threats, then a fight is had. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-an-angry-mob-demands-you-raise-your-fist-in-support/919071.md?page=8)