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Slow motion fighters unite

BEN CLASSON/Herald photo

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Also by Alex Brousseau:

Seven deadly sins, 21st century style (April 3, 2008)
Amid threats, church keeps homeless shelter (March 11, 2008)
Huckabee, McCain present opposition stances (February 19, 2008)
Clinton, Obama hold similar views, clash on strategy (February 19, 2008)
Playing the system (January 30, 2008)

by Alex Brousseau

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

At precisely noon Monday, 20 students gathered at Library Mall and began a full-out slow-motion brawl that ended with everyone’s death.

After exactly three minutes, participants simply got up and left as if nothing had happened.

The event was the latest example of a flash mob, a planned occurrence that has cropped up in cities around the world over the past four years. Groups perform predetermined actions for a short amount of time before quickly dispersing.

“I was pleased that everyone else participating seemed to go with the idea with real enthusiasm,” said UW senior Zach Heise, a participant in the flash mob. “I was proud of our small but dedicated turnout. All participating really seemed focused on putting on a good, completely random show — the very tenets of a flash mob.”

Passersby simply watched with confusion. A few stopped to watch, and others merely whispered to their friends, unsure of what to do.

“They seemed to be baffled and were looking around like they were expecting either the police to break us up or for some sort of ‘candid camera’ setup to be filming their reactions,” Heise said.

This particular event was coordinated by senior Jesse Olson.

“I wanted to do this because it sounded fun,” Olson said. “There were a lot of people who wanted to have fun this week, and we thought this was a good way. People began throwing out ideas, so I volunteered to pick a time and place. It was definitely fun and very different.”

Flash mobs are organized by e-mail lists, websites, text messages or, the most popular student method, Facebook. “The Ultimate Madison Flash Mob” Facebook group provides a means to organize flash mobs, including Tuesday’s event.

“I have some tech skills and am hoping to even get a listserv set up for flash mobbers so that people can be mass e-mailed about locations, times, etc.,” Heise said. “That’s how the huge groups in London and New York do it.”

The first flash mob occurred in New York City in 2003 and was organized by Harper’s Magazine senior editor Bill Wasik via e-mail. A mob of 200 people flooded a Manhattan Macy’s in search of a “love rug” for the converted warehouse they claimed to inhabit.

The craze has hit Great Britain, China and Russia, and flash mobs have become popular at colleges across the U.S., including Purdue University, Cornell University and the University of Florida. Tasks preformed by students include pirate attacks, zombie raids, finger shoot-outs and statue worship.

They have also been used as a form of activism, including the flash mob that took place in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2004 to protest President Vladimir Putin. But even flash mob protests can be turned into humorous events, as seen in the “zombie rights” march in Madison last October.

“A while ago, there was a zombie rights protest flash mob that started at the Capitol and walked down State Street holding signs, dressed as zombies, promoting zombie rights,” Olson said. “My brother then created an anti-zombie rights protest.”

Overall, flash mobs are meant to surprise and brighten people’s day, according to Olson.

“They are a way to wake people up in their daily routine,” Olson said. “It disrupts the complacency and surprises everyone a little.”

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Anonymous (April 8, 2008 @ 4:42pm):

That's a fucking awesome photo.

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