We may not ever forgive Seattle Met for excluding Wallingford from their “15 Best Places to Live” list, but that won’t preclude us from mentioning a flash mob they’re putting together this Sunday at Gasworks Park, from 2:00 to 2:30 p.m.
According to Wiktionary, a flash mob, by definition, is “a group of people who converge on a spot with little forewarning, perform some action (usually a protest or a dance), and disperse quickly.” Conversely, the gathering this Sunday has given people plenty of forewarning, since is has it’s own Facebook page on which people can RSVP. Also, it is neither a protest or a dance. But since we’re being sticklers on the subject, Sci-Fi author Larry Niven has been originally credited with the etymology, as it pertained to his 1973 novella “Flash Crowd” about futuristic, inexpensive teleportation that backfires at a shopping mall, causing a riot. So any flash mobs we’ve seen thus far have digressed from their origin. I’m sure this is much more than you want to know, but there you have it.
Needless to say, Seattle Met is renting a helicopter to photograph the flash mob, who will be standing still, smiling, and holding signs to spell out the word “LOVE” for the cover of the magazine’s upcoming issue “Things We LOVE About Seattle.”
By definition, announcing it ahead of time and promoting it the way they are disqualifies it as a “flash mob” and turns it instead to “publicity event”
Damn. Wish it was to be a flash mob dance. Love those!
regardless of the name, it was rainy, a bit fun and a bit cold.
I hope to see the results.
It’s not about nomenclature to me, its about being able to express enjoyment and appreciation of Seattle in many forms.
Goodness — publicity event? Publicity for what?
Flash mobs just make people giddy – those who participate and the observers. They bring joy and unity to our lil village of Seattle.