An anonymous crowd can demand an accountability that none of its members accepts individually.

A crowd can demand a level of accountability that no individual member would accept for themselves, because responsibility divides until each person’s share feels like nothing. Everyone contributed a fragment and nobody did anything they would answer for.

When you are part of a mass reaction, ask whether you would say your part directly, with your name on it, to the person’s face. If not, that is worth taking seriously. Applying to yourself the standard you are demanding of someone else is a good check and an uncomfortable one.