> Just for the purposes of illustration: Were the protests in Egypt a decade ago, or in Hong Kong more recently, "mobs"? Why, and who decides? They look the sa

> Just for the purposes of illustration: Were the protests in Egypt a decade ago, or in Hong Kong more recently, "mobs"? Why, and who decides? They look the same, so an honest mob could be the same as a grassroots movement. My personal rule is: if you're joining others to harm someone, it's a mob. If you're joining others to risk yourself for a cause, it's a grassroots movement. Hong Kong protests looked like grassroots movements, lynching someone, physically or virtually, is a mob. The US Capitol attack was a mob. I have no idea how to classify flash mobs that just dance, though.