Manipulation In The Bunker

Although yesterday was by no means an average day, it was packed with manipulation. A few people have already touched on this in their posts, but I think there is a little more to say so I'll mention a few things... 

For one, it was fascinating to witness people's responses to the threats. I was locked among 80 others in the commons basement for 6 and a half hours, but I did not witness a single person cry. The most frazzled person I saw took laps around the cramped space and religiously got up and tried to hear the conversation the woman was having on the main commons telephone line whenever it rang. Mostly, people wanted to get the hell out of the basement- with no regard to what was happening outside. This could be interpreted as a way around the manipulation- the administration told us to stay locked in, but we said hell no and left anyway. (For the record I wasn't one of those that left... More on that later.) But were they really leaving at their own will? Or did the comfort of their dorms and the talk of their friends lead them to take a risk they would otherwise not have taken? Of course, in retrospect, there was no danger. But at the time, leaving a lockdown with a potential shooter walking around campus, is pretty dangerous. The police were sweeping the dark side, so yes, the light side was in theory void of danger- but, that also means no one was checking the light side for a shooter... And those that stayed, were they staying because they thought it was the best thing to do, or because they were being manipulated by fear of disobeying authority? 

Second, I found that a lot of people seemed to be inadvertently manipulating themselves to pass the time. I'd say at least 30% of the people stuck seemed to be enjoying themselves (myself included). Two friends and I befriended some strangers and played some trail bonding games and got to know each other really well (all the time texting everyone we knew making sure they were safe and telling our families not to worry.) We made jokes about how we were like from the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmit, "we met in and escaped the bunker!" I think we are all pretty good at distracting ourselves with television and entertainment, all in an attempt to avoid what is really happening. In fact, we all probably manipulate ourselves daily without even being fully aware of it.