I was, however, fascinated by the article mentioning that, in stereotypical British fashion, some of the rioters were queuing up to get loot from shops.
Somehow I hadn't envisioned the Viking raiders queueing to loot the church, but I guess I may be wrong on that :)
2 comments:
It is an interesting commentary on looters' attitudes, because queueing is a more efficient way for a group to act if you consider the group as a whole. It is not optimal, however, for anyone near the back of the queue if they think they could improve by "jumping".
So, in one sense the looters were not viewing each other as the opposition, but rather as fellow comrades-in-arms.
Actually I _would_ have expected a well-organised Viking raid to have had some element of queueing to take away large treasures. Squabbling over who picks up what while still on-site would be dangerous. Especially as most such raids would have a substantial element of pooling and distribution after the fact (because the guys who were on look-ouot, etc need to get a share and the boss will want a cut of everything).
You're doubtless right, about the Viking raiders - in fact, I recall descriptions of Thorkell the Tall's raids in Essex describing such, when I bother to think about it (not that this will stop me from mindlessly spouting off the top of my head in future, of course).
With regard to the looters, however, I think this is far more about the English addiction to, and love of, queueing - I once had a queue form behind me when I'd just stopped to cross the road, on a fairly quiet West London street..
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