"Violent Flash Mobs?" written by Paul on estrip.org

Category: web

08/14/11 08:34 - ID#54943

Violent Flash Mobs?

I can't even believe this is real. There is now a 9PM curfew in Philladelphia for teens under age 18 after a series of violent and crime driven flashmobs fueled by social media?!!

Part of me wants to side with it being ridiculous to force curfews on all teens because of some bad ones and to blame the media for sensationalizing this as flashmobs when really its just organized crime. I mean I used to hate it when the police would harass us for being outside at night when we were teens. On the other hand, we didn't rob stores, well at least not as an organized mobs - we may have mis-weighed bulk food a little here or there.

All joking aside, the media is making this seem slightly terrifying. Its hard to tell what's real and what's not as you can cut facts and video any way you want. I wish I knew someone there.

Here is some actual footage from that. While it looks like a robbery, it doesn't look particularly violent

Yet, the mayor seems to believe it now.

Here are some mobile videos from the evening that seem to be a little more balanced. Strangely, there is barely anything violent in the video which makes me question if the media is sensationalizing the issue. You could easily recut these into a news story that was totally against excessive police force. It just depends how you want to spin it.

Part 1 - I love the long haired white kid at 8:00 who sings about the police treating people like shit.

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Here it is cut up to make those video's seem way more crazy violent on Fox News.

At the end of vide one some surely white guy comments and says "Show me one video of aï»¿ white flash mob" The thing is there are hundreds if not thousands of them but they are dancing. I hope the action here and in Britain doesn't replace the term flash mob in our cultural vocabulary to mean some scary and violent.

This korean news is hillarious, holy crap

paul writes at 10:43:39 08/21/11 - Comment #64487: :::link:::

metalpeter writes at 05:45:15 08/16/11 - Comment #64386: So Video wise I got to the one with the mayor wish I had the time and Patience to follow all your links and watch those 3 10min videos but I don't.... I post news a lot over to facebook think after you read it takes about 5 clicks it can move pretty fast.... I posted about the London riots and then after that there where follow up riots... Well Blackberry was blamed in an article cause I guess they have like there own chat rooms or some way to connect directly through them or something... But you can't blame the tech...It isn't good or bad it is how it is used.... For example everyone thinks it is great when a flash mob shows up some place and everyone dances... Or the entire food court Sings Christmas songs.... But that exact same tech can be used by any group say people who think Christmas should be about the lord and not the gifts and they hate the greed so they show up at the mall and as someone leaves the store one person asks and whom are you donating that to anyone who says it is for me is beaten yes baseball bats to mall and destroy stores or maybe even steal stuff for your self... Or protest the Muslim butcher.... The tech is the same.... I remember their was some Pillow fight one in Buffalo what if you hide bricks in those and attack chain places on Elmwood cause it is supposed to be local only......

paul writes at 04:54:40 08/15/11 - Comment #64365: This AP article is pretty interesting :::link::: "The National Retail Federation said 10 percent of 106 companies it surveyed reported being targeted in the last year by groups of thieves using flash mob tactics."

tinypliny writes at 04:51:57 08/15/11 - Comment #64364: :::link::: mentions wisconsin.

maybe you should ditch the orangetongue domain and start a flashmob one.

paul writes at 04:48:38 08/15/11 - Comment #64363: And vegas too :::link:::

paul writes at 04:47:24 08/15/11 - Comment #64362: And Wisconsin. Its so weird that none of the other articles seem to link them together. This one seems so incredibly crazy :::link:::

tinypliny writes at 04:46:06 08/15/11 - Comment #64361: In related news, I read this about a study that looks at how mothers of today deal with kids demanding and manipulating them to buy (often) crappy cereal at the grocery stores: :::link:::

Giving in is (not surprisingly) the least effective strategy.

paul writes at 04:44:51 08/15/11 - Comment #64360: And even St Paul Minnesota back in february with 50 kids. I like that they referred to it as Mob Robery instead of a Flash Mob. Apparently, it happened there before.

tinypliny writes at 04:43:18 08/15/11 - Comment #64359: headed towards buffalo?! I hope not. We just cannot afford this kind of behaviour.

paul writes at 04:38:34 08/15/11 - Comment #64358: And in washington DC - :::link:::

paul writes at 04:28:05 08/15/11 - Comment #64356: Oh the korean video part was cut off before and it seems like there are new rober flash mobs in Maryland. :::link::: :::link:::

tinypliny writes at 02:54:52 08/15/11 - Comment #64351: And then there is something like this: :::link:::

tinypliny writes at 02:47:27 08/15/11 - Comment #64350: :::link:::

I think the mayor has his head in the right place and a brain in it, something that I can't say for the parents of these kids.

tinypliny writes at 02:30:35 08/15/11 - Comment #64349: So what would be an alternative really? I am sure all of those kids think it's so cool that they pulled it all off. It's as if there is no definition of right and wrong in their heads. When we have a big media influence (music as well as other forms of media) that blurs the lines between what is cool and what is right/wrong, it is hard to instill moral values in kids.

I was reading this human behaviour article not long back. It emphasized how evolutionarily wired we all are to follow examples and how closely our internal judgment relies on the question "would my role model have done that?". If the answer is yes, we don't see any harm in doing it ourselves. I don't think we realize that all of us have multiple role models, not just one. The very fact that our whole behaviour model is social dictates that everything we do is based on what influential models in our past and present have done or must have done.

In an environment where there is complete lack of natural role-models (read: parents, relatives, responsible siblings), the stand ins are possibly media icons or equally lost peers. That to me, is incredibly scary.

"Social-networking-driven" to me is just code for "lack-of-parental-involvement-in-bringing-us-up".

paul writes at 02:10:33 08/15/11 - Comment #64347: Ya thats what I was thinking. If the actual flash mobs happen during the day whats the good in nighttime curfews. That plus, maybe it just forces them to be home and use more social networking where the situation worsens. Its not like by sending them home they are stopping them from assembling like it would have been years ago.

tinypliny writes at 01:20:13 08/15/11 - Comment #64344: It looks like the "Italian Job" in a shoe store.

tinypliny writes at 01:18:59 08/15/11 - Comment #64343: And as a counter argument to the video evidence, all that the surveillance footage suggests to me is that the store raid (for that's what it looks like) was planned and the kids were apparently successful in such mass-scale shoplifting simply because of the strength in numbers. How many security officers do you think a regular department store has during its regular hours of operation? The raid easily had the potential to become violent once there is a hint of confrontation.

Which brings me to another point - curfew after 9 PM? That looks like it was broad daylight.

tinypliny writes at 01:09:00 08/15/11 - Comment #64342: And yes, I totally believe "Spare the rod, spoil the child." is true. I am always appalled at all the tantrums kids pull in stores around me and how they get away with it. The parents who do actively monitor their kids behaviour and try to make them behave do so with so many glances of guilt around them. Seriously, what IS wrong with teaching a kid good habits?! Why do make responsible parents feel guilty about meting out balanced punishment?

Teenagers are not grown-ups. In fact they need more guidance than younger kids. Responsible teenagers grow into responsible adults and don't chuck their lives away to irresponsible behaviour.

/end of rant.

tinypliny writes at 01:03:41 08/15/11 - Comment #64341: The judgmental 70-year old in me rues the lack of good parenting these days. And yet, I am in no position to be judgmental because I am completely out of touch with what it is like to actually parent kids in this day and age (and place!). Who knows what challenges real parents are facing these days. I don't know if I even want to find out. If I had a kid that even considered raiding a store for a bag of potato chips, I probably would freak out and ground the kid for a month as a lesson in being a good citizen.

tinypliny writes at 01:00:26 08/15/11 - Comment #64340: We had curfews at home all the time. If it was not govt-imposed, it was parent-enforced. I just didn't know what to say. I guess I never had the classic "teenager-years" where everyone seems to experiment with everything here. The one time I went to a somewhat out-of-control concert, I ended up running into trouble with law enforcement. It was very unpleasant so I never attempted ever again.

paul writes at 12:40:00 08/15/11 - Comment #64339: How can no one have anything to say about this?

Permalink: Violent_Flash_Mobs_.html
Words: 380
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 08/15/11 04:24

Category: accidents

08/14/11 08:17 - ID#54942

Vodka Blimp Crashes

I think the vodka blimp from (e:tinypliny,54868) just crashed into a 94 year old woman's house. I hope they gave her a free lifetime supply.

The blimp advertises Hangar 1 Vodka and is on a tour of about 20 cities under the direction of an Orlando, Fla.-based airship advertiser called The Lightship Group, said Toby Page, the group's marketing director. The blimp won't make its next planned stop in Detroit on Thursday.... Asked whether she might try the vodka, Bernhagen joked that she might need a drink after such a ruckus.

Permalink: Vodka_Blimp_Crashes.html
Words: 101
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 08/14/11 08:17

Category: beer

08/14/11 10:53 - ID#54938

Beer pong in the dance floor at wemf

Maybe it was pill pong. I didn't look in their cups.

Permalink: Beer_pong_in_the_dance_floor_at_wemf.html
Words: 17
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 08/14/11 10:57

Category: music

08/13/11 08:35 - ID#54936

In the tent

Well after a splendid night of dancing alone, tonight we have a thunderstorm. The music is off and half my bed is soaked. Yipee.

Permalink: In_the_tent.html
Words: 26
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 08/13/11 08:35

08/12/11 10:50 - ID#54932

this stage is ridiculous

as in totally awesome

Permalink: this_stage_is_ridiculous.html
Words: 6
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 08/12/11 10:50

Category: music

08/12/11 10:47 - ID#54931

Live at wemf 2011

It's freaking awesome.

Permalink: Live_at_wemf_2011.html
Words: 5
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 08/12/11 10:47

08/12/11 05:13 - ID#54930

The juiciest Litchis and sim cards

And dragonfruits were only 2.99 instead of 9.99 at Wegmans.

I wish I got the dragonfruit but I was in a rush to get my SIM card at the Rogers wireless store.

Its kind of a rip off. I got a similar card at best buy for $10. I was able to activate it over the phone but they has no way to charge it with an American visa or MasterCard, only American express unless you go instore and purchase vouchers. I don't understand why the brick and mortar store can take American visa cards. In the end I got 500MB of data, a bunch of phone minutes and 250 international text messages for $50. Its good for a month so it should work for (e:Terry)'s birthday at the quarry too. In general the process was so complicated and expensive. I wish they could make it easier. After Sept 11th they will have a prepaid 500mb topup plan for $25.

Permalink: The_juiciest_Litchis_and_sim_cards.html
Words: 159
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 08/12/11 05:13

Category: shoes

08/12/11 09:27 - ID#54925

My Shoe Collection

Here they all are. Each pair has a different purpose except for the near duplicate brown leather low top ones.

Permalink: My_Shoe_Collection.html
Words: 22
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 08/12/11 09:27

Category: shopping

08/10/11 11:08 - ID#54920

Trip To Ikea

(e:libertad), (e:terry), (e:mike) and I went to IKEA on Saturday. I like the stainless steal microwave but the best part was the sweedish meatballs with currant sauce and elderflower juice. I am not sure I would ever buy any of their furniture, its really not my style.

Permalink: Trip_To_Ikea.html
Words: 72
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 08/10/11 11:20

Category: books

08/10/11 11:00 - ID#54919

Borders Closes - The end of an era

Borders was probably the single most contributing factor to my credit card debt in the late 1990s - early 2000s. I spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars on computer programming books. Then in 2004 I remember shopping one day with my brand new smartphone, a sidekick. I wanted to buy Make Magazine but I decided to try looking up the price online and it was way cheaper. I ordered the magazine right there from my phone. It remember because it was the first time I ever bought something online and I was real sketched out about entering my credit card number in. Shortly thereafter I bought all of my computer books on amazon. Now border is out of business. I guess it all makes sense. Now I shop from my phone all the time.

I will miss the experience of going to the bookstore (e:paul,32098)

Its so funny to see genres broken down by different percentages off. If you want magazine you should go now, they are going quick but they are 50% off.