So, yeah, mob mentality has been a problem, is a problem, and will be a problem and it shouldn't be brushed off as necessarily harmless to innocent people just because it sometimes takes down people who deserve it.
While simultaneously, a tool that has proven efficacious should not be summarily dismissed because some innocent people get damaged by it on occasion. As with many things in life, nothing is perfect- it’s a balancing act.
And like many balancing acts, we have tools to fend off, mitigate, and somewhat rectify the situation when things go wrong...if people choose to abide by them. There are statistical analyses that tell us the approximate rates of false accusations across a broad assortment of offenses, which should guide our responses to reports of wrongdoing. There are civil and criminal laws punishing those who deliberately or recklessly make false accusations, meaning they could not only do time, they could face stiff financial penalties as well.
To use one offered example, the Central Park 5 were eventually exonerated and awarded a multimillion dollar settlement. And, as I recall, a second one as well as more facts came forward. (OTOH, the person who took out a full page ad in the NYT calling for their execution has never apologized.)
Were they made whole? Could they return to their previous normal lives? Of course not. The bell, rung, cannot be unrung. But they were given the apology (most) of society could give them. They are free to find their new normal, if they can.
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