Crowd Violence

The basic plot of AMONG THE THUGS is the examination of crowd violence in the form of football supporter "firms." Buford begins this examination by simply describing the violence from an external perspective to show the depth of destruction of which these individuals are capable. Through his eyes, readers see individuals who beat others senseless, destroy property, and have a complete disregard for others. Buford explains shortly, however, that as a part of this crowd, he begins to understand what happens when crowds turn violent. Buford points out that individuals cease to be individuals when placed into a crowd, and they instead become a part of something larger and less identifiable. As such, they become more susceptible to leaders, since their own sense of individuality has been removed. If one person, whether a leader or not, makes a move toward violence, the entire crowd is likely to...