Flash Mobs and The New York Times
August 4th, 2003The first flash mobs took place nearly two months ago in New York — yet the first New York Times flash mob coverage appeared today, in the “Berlin Journal” portion of the International section. What were they thinking?
Anyway, the piece contains one of my favorite flash mob quotes:
Tobias von Sch–nebeck, a tour guide, shook his head when he heard about how the phenomenon was traced back to Macy’s. “This is just the sort of thing that happens when you forbid New York to smoke.”
What I believe to be the first of its kind: a Flash Mob listserv for the Houston area! Join, join, join! Make the world know that there is creativity, spontaneity, and intelligent life even here!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FlashMobHouston
Oh mann,
Was soll das denn?
Habt Ihr dâ€mlichen Amis nix besseres zu tun als Euch in Parks zu treffen und ne Minute auf der Stelle zu h¸pfen?
Was hat das den mit “intelligent” zu tun wenn Ihr Dinge tut die nur Geisteskranke tun w¸rden?
Fangt an Euren Geist RICHTIG zu nutzen, und versucht mal NICHT Arnold zum Governer zu wâ€hlen oder andere Lâ€nder anzugreifen, oder Spr¸h-kâ€se zu erfinden , oder Boygroups zu z¸chten, oder dumme Scheiþe zu reden!
Dies ist nur ein weiterer Beweis daf¸r das der Kapitalismus und der “Konsum ohne Grenzen” nur zu Unzufridenheit und Eskapismus f¸hrt! IHr Amis wisst einfach nicht mehr wohin mit Eurer Energie und deshalb bricht Sie in solchen kranken Massenbewegungen aus!
DENKT ENDLICH ÃBER EUCH NACH!!!!!!!!!
Richmann, wir nehmen Ihre Entschuldigung an.
Um, no, there was some other press on flashmobs about two months ago. A nervous shopkeeper, a bewildered police officer, the whole bit.
Sehr geehrter Herr Richmann,
so einen schwachsinnigen Anti-Amerikanismus habe ich selten erlebt. Ich dachte immer so etwas gebe es nur als Totschlagargument gegen die Friedensbewegung.
Flashmobs kann man gut finden oder nicht, aber immer die anderen als die Schuldigen am Elend der Welt zu sehen ist neurotische Projektion. Kehren Sie erstmal ihren eigenen Garten bevor sie andere belâ€stigen, und râ€umen sie zuerst die Gartenzwerge weg.
San Jose! Wake up!
Contact pointlesstechie@yahoo.com for more information.
Regards,
Pointless Techie
CHICAGO FLASH MOB #1
SUNGLASSES AT NIGHT
Friday August 29, 2003 @ 9PM
West Side of the John Hancock Building
We will come together wearing sunglasses and cough in unison for 1 minute. This will be the beginning of what will become the strongest, most intelligent, and largest Flash Mob group. Join us!
Is anyone hearing anything about a Toronto mob? If not, why?
Also, diese feindliche Haltung von Richmann kann ich nicht verstehen! Da muss ich sum vollkommen zustimmen. Man sollte Spaþ verstehen k–nnen. Wenn sie nicht depressiv und verbittert durchs leben rennen m–chten, sollten manche Menschen lernen solche Dinge einfach zu akzeptieren. Auþerdem hat die politische Situation eines Landes nichts mit flash mob zu tun!!!
Gerade in schwierigen Zeiten ist Humor (was immer man auch darunter versteht) angebracht.
hey kiddos– don’t announce what the mob activity is before the actual event. For instance: who is actually going to plan to show up to an event that consists entirely of coughing? are you kidding? keep the mystery alive.
San Francisco MOB #2 will be THIS Saturday, August 9th.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_mob_project/
Girl, you know it’s true!
Isn’t it strange how new positive things like Flash Mobs can be received with such different attitudes? Mister Richmann, judging by his in German writen piece probably a German and therefor living fairly close to me (Netherlands), makes a sound which I haven’t heard before when the subject is Flash Mobs. At least untill this morning when I read in the newspaper about people that are looking for political meanings behind the Mobs and are even scared of the easyness with which crowds can be mobelized to do something out of the ordinary. I’m just waiting till the first one happens in Amsterdam and I can participate
get a fuckin life you brain dead wasters do a peace rally or an anti bush march .and then you wonder why the rest of the world fuckin hates americans
Hey, what happened to the London ‘flash mob’ post?
And why can’t people get a sense of humour
(eg simple simon!)
I dunno, some people. So set in their ways they can’t enjoy a harmless laugh.
Also I think we should flash mob an internet site. Get a load of us to appear at the same time, and all post exactly the same question to the forum. I know the perfect place…
http://www.trance.nu
Lets all go there at a certain time (to be decided) and all post the message ‘What is trance?’
and then leave. Whose up for that?
yeah flood a website with incoming mail so it crashes and costs someone (not you fuckin assholes) time and money.You really are a clever bunch and thanks for proving my point.
Hey Simon, if you hate us so much, why do you hang about here to read our posts?????
Just to get annoyed?
I swear there are too many people like you who love to get angry at any given time. You’re probably moaning about something else trivial now. Get a sense of humuor!!! I must say it is fun winding you up though1
Also Simon, with respect to
yeah flood a website with incoming mail so it crashes and costs someone (not you fuckin assholes) time and money
…people earn a living by cleaning up mess like this. Are you trying to con someone out of a job? You thoughtless buffoon. You’re worse then us.
people earned a living from the scrap metal from the twin towers so i suppose your going to ok that one too???
RockCity FM is a postmodern trans-cultural collective interested in using odd or fantastic group events to shift the way that people think about the future—while having fun at the same time! Click on the join button if your in Detroit.
simple simon, you still here? I thought you hated this place.
I’m afraid I do not know if people made money out of the scrap metal from the twin towers.
But if they did, what else could they do with it? …Give it you? You would just moan?
A column about flash mobs, The Situationist International and the celebrity culture:
http://www.globeandmail.com/tv
Wed Aug 6th 2003
How about we flash mob Simple Simon’s email?
LOL!
What do you think of that Sean?
Baltimore might have it’s first flash mob if possible. http://www.livejournal.com/community/otakon/201514.html
Wasn’t sure where else to put this, so here’s my best shot.
People, please relax.
Please DO NOT swamp anyone’s Web server (that’s already been done many times; the cyberspace equivalent of flash mobbing is called flash crowding). Please don’t overrun anyone’s e-mail address (that’s very old news; it’s called e-mail bombing.) These things aren’t clever and they’re a counterproductive bore.
Besides, “simple simon’s” address seems to be a fake. I tried to e-mail him but it bounced back.
If someone’s clueless let him speak and he’ll prove his cluelessness to the world. But you might as well listen in case he’s got a point.
Simon, you ask why we don’t spend our time organizing peace rallies and anti-Bush marches. We already are; this is standard operating procedure in San Francisco.
Please don’t equate all Americans with our disastrous government leadership, or with the monstrous megacorporations that control that
leadership. Flash mobs are the first rumblings of a new power that we hope will bypass those forces and make them irrelevant.
Lion cubs spend a lot of time playing, learning to master their evolving powers. That play seems frivolous at first, but consider the big picture and you might realize that such play is not a waste of time.
Info on upcoming San Francisco mob:
Time: Saturday, August 9th, 2:07 pm
Place: Phoenix Irish Pub at 19th Street and Valencia
I like the “flash mob for good” idea about the garbage bags and the park. Another in the same vein would be to show up at a shelter or food pantry with canned goods, etc. Pantries traditionally run low on items this time of year.
well at least one of you is thinkin. what a great idea
The date of the first Detroit Moment has been changed to Aug 16. RockCityFM has a Blog now at:
http://rockcityfm.blogspot.com/
We are organizing a flash mob near Penn’s campus. To sign up and for more info e-mail upennflashmob@yahoo.com.
Read a bit about the first Flash Mobs in Europe. Where & when’s the Amsterdam Flash Mob taking place?
MOB #6
So I was part of the latest New York MOB Project and it was much better than the other one I did (the 2nd). Mind you, it’s hard to get worse than 200 people with their backs to all three…
I don’t think so. He directed his anger on the first roman mob without getting all the facts first, so I’m not willing to take seriously his opinion.
hey, i¥m going to my first flash mob, in Sao paulo,brazil, and i don¥t think it¥s a bad idea, like some do, if that¥s fun for some people, just let them have fun, if people go there to protest against political issues, like Bush, mega coorporations or whatever, they have the right to be free and protest, I know that in Brazil, they had the first flash mob on august 12th, and it was a blast, and some people protested and some only had fun, a lot of fun!!!!
hey whatever you may think it is now here,marketing is going to take advantage soon.
Is there any interest in doing a flash mob in the Hartford, CT area? I am especially interested in merging flash mobs with concise, crisp “random acts of kindness.” The notion of converging on a foodbank with canned goods was a good idea, already posted.
Many of us are feeling increasingly powerless about our reckless foreign and domestic policies and the lackluster leadership from the two main parties–despite the fact that we are actively demonstrating, emailing, witnessing and all other heartfelt gestures.
Any takers?
Artful
Well, SimpleSimon certainly seems a well chosen name. You certainly seem to be an unhappy character. Where is the joy in your life? People have enough difficulty with getting through each day, so why not have a little fun?
I think that something to influence social change is a great idea, why not. But to condemn an entire group of people sounds a bit over the top. Secondly, it seems to me that some of the first flash mobs were in Germany or on the European continent. Would you then condemn the entire world?
Two words for you Simple: Anger Management
The above text closing with”Anger Management” is mine. My personal info was not included in the post.
Wondering why u spend so much affort on handling with simple simons and Richmanns agressions.. why not just scroll down ? It’s up to them to flash their ignorance someday. Just let them grow up… aging will fix it.