Essay

One of the crowd

By Samantha Loong

An Osaka friend of mine recently made a trip to Tokyo. When I asked her about her visit, she said that the sheer number of people made her want to scream. I love people-watching, but when things get crowded and crowds get silly, I too feel like exploding. I have noticed however, that sometimes it's not so much the size of the crowd, but the people in it that make all the difference.

Tokyo's crowds are certainly intimidating, but the chaos is usually organized. I have been caught in fast-moving streams of commuters, but as long as no one suddenly stopped in their path without warning, it was fairly low-stress. Conversely, in very sparsely populated Wellington, I've been stuck in a throng of 14-year-old girls all clamoring for a glimpse of Orlando Bloom during a movie premiere. Girls that age take no prisoners and I left that event battered and bruised.

More recently, I experienced the nicer side to Wellington's citizens. I had popped into a tiny cafe and found myself crammed into a long line. Despite the din, this cafe's crowd was pleasant and as I waited, my attention was soon drawn to one of the staff. He had picked up a pair of tongs and attempted to grab an impossibly large scone perched on a mountain of baked goods. Then, in an almost slow-motion scene, the scone slipped from his grip and fell in front of the queue. I wasn't the only one watching the scone's descent, as the entire queue of about 16 people collectively gasped and then lamented with an "Aww," as the scone plummeted towards the ground. While the rest of us looked on, the woman closest to the scone carefully picked it up with two gloved hands and handed its crumbled remnants back to the staff member. It was touching to be part of a crowd of strangers sharing a heartbreaking moment.

Sharing a moment with a crowd happened again later that day at the cinema. Movie theaters can be places where crowds test your patience. It could be someone kicking your seat or a child loudly asking mum or dad to explain part of the movie. But on that day, it was a small child who brought everyone together. The moment a gripping trailer for a superhero movie finished, a little boy expressed what the rest of us were probably thinking, with an unreserved "YEAH!" as everyone laughed in agreement.

Being stuck in a crowd doesn't always have to be a bad thing. But it does depend a lot on who's in it with you. Crowd etiquette is sadly something that not everyone picks up, but in today's rapidly expanding society, it's a skill worth learning. And when you're trapped on public transport, in a movie theater or a slow-moving horde, you only really need to remember three key points to ensure no one goes on a screaming rampage: Be considerate, be aware and definitely don't break wind.

Shukan ST: AUGUST 10, 2012

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