Friends, it has been far too long.
For the first time in my life I find myself in defense of hipster ideology. I just heard about a "flash mob" performed at the BYU vs Gonzaga game. A video of the event is below. It was a great idea. It was executed well. It was entertaining. It was not a flash mob.
A flash mob is an organized group performing a sudden and seemingly unplanned event that takes non-participants by surprise and then disappears just as suddenly. This was an organized group. They performed together. They entertained others. But the dance was no secret to those not participating; it has been widely advertised. Also, the true magic to a flash mob is that no one outside the mob can identify the leader. And participants are little more than strangers. Random people come together, do something in united chaos, and leave.
This noble and beautiful event was a spirit section. Those involved in the dance did exactly what cheerleaders try to get the spectators to do every game. They jumped and hollered and had a great time. They pumped up the players and showed their support for their team. It was marvelous. They did a fantastic job.
Labeling something a flash mob has now become a fad. Flash mobs are cool so everyone has to do one (why I feel in defense of hipsters. I finally found something that lost a bit of its "coolness" by becoming too mainstream...). There is no shame in proper names! Reserve flash mobs for flash mobs. Call a spirit section a spirit section or student body section or awesome people who planned out a really neat dance to show their support for the team. Don't reuse words to provide an unnecessary connotation. Otherwise you'll start sounding like a maverick.
BYU vs Gonzaga Spirit Section
For the first time in my life I find myself in defense of hipster ideology. I just heard about a "flash mob" performed at the BYU vs Gonzaga game. A video of the event is below. It was a great idea. It was executed well. It was entertaining. It was not a flash mob.
A flash mob is an organized group performing a sudden and seemingly unplanned event that takes non-participants by surprise and then disappears just as suddenly. This was an organized group. They performed together. They entertained others. But the dance was no secret to those not participating; it has been widely advertised. Also, the true magic to a flash mob is that no one outside the mob can identify the leader. And participants are little more than strangers. Random people come together, do something in united chaos, and leave.
This noble and beautiful event was a spirit section. Those involved in the dance did exactly what cheerleaders try to get the spectators to do every game. They jumped and hollered and had a great time. They pumped up the players and showed their support for their team. It was marvelous. They did a fantastic job.
Labeling something a flash mob has now become a fad. Flash mobs are cool so everyone has to do one (why I feel in defense of hipsters. I finally found something that lost a bit of its "coolness" by becoming too mainstream...). There is no shame in proper names! Reserve flash mobs for flash mobs. Call a spirit section a spirit section or student body section or awesome people who planned out a really neat dance to show their support for the team. Don't reuse words to provide an unnecessary connotation. Otherwise you'll start sounding like a maverick.
BYU vs Gonzaga Spirit Section
