Just idly thinking about the whole rioting thing while in the garage, and I started to think back to what it was actually like being in one... And I remember being scared, and angry at times, and awed, but mainly what I remember is the feeling of unreality- what you could call suspension of disbelief. Watching the riot squad retreating didn't feel like being on the edge of chaos, it just felt surreal and unworldly. And walking through the aftermath of burned out shops etc, was much the same- very dreamlike.
I did things I'd never have done normally- nothing actually illegal I might add, without getting into detail. And I never kicked that feeling of unreality, it was more like I was a spectator of what I was doing. I saw people get their property destroyed then join in, which doesn't make any sense at all. I saw security guards take off their yellow jackets and join the mob. I saw a guy punch someone, then immediately as soon as he'd done it snap out of it and start helping the guy he'd just punched, that was weird (they were having a chat when I moved on)
The only normal-life equivalent I can come up with, is when you wake up and it's properly snowed- everyone's acting differently, the world looks different, the familiar's totally turned upside down. it's not the same at all, but it's got a bit of the same feel. And all ridiculously vivid.
So that got me thinking about how I'd have reacted if I was caught up in the london riots, and what it might say about people who do things that seem totally out of character. You know that expression, that a mob's as smart as the stupidest person in the mob?
I have no idea if any of this is interesting to anyone or if anyone else'll have any thoughts on it, but you never know.
