Peculiarities of the national orgies

Flashmob hasn’t died!

For what was initially dead can’t die. But, let’s first touch upon this phenomenon itself.

Flashmob is a brief campaign aimed at causing bypassers’ bewilderment. Each participant shouldn’t evoke any suspicions until the very ‘X’ moment, and then should perform his/her ‘part’ and disappear unnoticed. The basic principles of the flashmob are as follows.

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• impermanence and spontaneity;
• no promotion or financial gain;
• personality is nothing, team is everything. Some kind of depersonalization of a human;
• indifference towards politics

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Like any other movements, flashmob emerged in Azerbaijan when its popularity in the West was slowly but surely declining. But in our country it actually happens to any trend phenomenon. And so much effort was made at first! They read books in the street, imitated a mass suicide at the Maiden Tower. Police were at a loss. ‘How come that people start reading all together? There’s something wrong here!’ the law-enforcers thought and dispersed everyone. Those were good and creative years.

This, however, didn’t prevent me from hating flashmobs. And the reason lied in the very essence of flashmobs. For example, Erich Fromm, a prominent neo-Freudian, thought that a person was driven by two contrary aspirations– for solitude and for unity with a crowd. The first one threatens with a feeling of loneliness, whereas the second one – with a loss of personality. So, a person has to strike a ‘happy’ medium. In Fromm’s opinion, one of the most primitive forms of satisfying one’s need for unity were orgies, be it sexual or drug addicts’ ones. Or dances around the bonfire in African tribes. These are simple, synchronized moves that help people united at least for a short time.

If Fromm had lived now, he would have regarded flashmob as one of the forms of orgies, given that there is no principle difference between this movement and the African tribal dances. Our youth felt unusual loneliness and so they preferred this path. As for me, I had a bitter feeling of pique for them.

Later, this feeling changed for anger, since dances was the only thing left from those flashmobs. A lot of dances. And why not? People are happy, police don’t interfere, and there are many views on YouTube. Why making efforts to do anything original?

It got worse and worse as it went on. The main principles were scuttled. An umbrella flashmob was to be held in summer. The lack of organization resulted in the event that could hardly be termed as a flashmob. During an hour, people were gathering in the Fountains Square, Baku’s most busy area. As a result, the police dispersed everyone. Many people expressed indignation on social media, whereas personally I was glad-if you don’t know how organize, just don’t do it.

Another example is the water swilling, organized in summer at the Shehid Alley [Alley of Honorary Burial-ed.]. The organizers were certainly detained.

Just recently, there was a flashmob dedicated to February 14. As far as I know, a guy wanted to organize a beautiful marriage proposal ceremony. ‘Great,’ I thought and started waiting in the Fountains Square (where else?). The following events were more interesting, so let me tell them point by point

1. Spontaneity. There was no spontaneity at all. Everyone gathered an hour before the flashmob. The atmosphere there got so tense in half an hour, that checking loudspeakers for music couldn’t come at a better time. Whereas 10 minutes before the beginning, the major part of the square was suddenly deserted. Here, even a fool would have got into the swing of things.

2. No financial gain. As far as I have learned, a flashmob can be ‘bought’ in our country. There are special organizer companies, you go and order whatever you need. What a shame!

3. Bewilderment of people around. The flashmob’s main goal wasn’t reached. Those were badly synchronized dances that had nothing to do either with the Lovers’ Day or the love confession.

The relatives, well-dressed for the event, who ceremonially congratulated the girl with bunches of flowers and gifts, where a kind of ‘addition.’ Judging from the bride’s make-up and behavior she had been well-aware of it in advance.

Note that I don’t say a word about the proposal itself. Frankly speaking, it couldn’t be worse, but that’s actually not my business. It would have been much better if the guy simple had bent his knee to her in front of everyone and offer to marry him. However, ‘he who pays the piper calls the tune’.

Or the flashmobers.