Birds of a feather

Feathered friends might flock together for good reason. They need each other for support and survival, but unfeathered friends flock together for many of the same reasons and other less savory ones.

Mob mentality is a phenomena that can be terrifying. It nullifies intelligent thinking and rational actions. Simply bonding out of mindless frustration, or rage, can create appalling situations, because there is the strength of many without the logic, analysis, or reasoning of intelligence.

Mobs of any sort are dangerous, no matter why they are gathered together. People who find themselves suddenly believing the un-provable, the unpracticed, the formerly unsavory, are generally desperate and desperation is the road to ruin. It clouds the thinking. It allows people to give themselves permission to do erratic things they wouldn't normally even consider.

These are truly the times that "try men's souls."