Does Black Friday Mayhem = Mental Illness?

America’s addiction to cheap crap from China reached new depths during this year’s Black Friday shopping frenzy:

• A young boy was trampled at Walmart
• A California woman pepper sprayed her fellow shoppers
• Someone’s Grandpa was beaten bloody by police
• Shoppers rioted over $2 waffle makers
• Multiple Walmart shoppers were tasered by police

And newscasts all across the country keep asking the question: Why?

Why do relatively normal people devolve into snarling pack animals while Black Friday bargain hunting?

According to the Contagion Theory, crowds exert a hypnotic influence over their members. Shielded by their anonymity, large numbers of people abandon personal responsibility and surrender to the contagious emotions of the crowd. A crowd thus assumes a life of its own, stirring up emotions, and driving people toward irrational, even violent action.

Sounds crazy to me.