I don't know if this has been mentioned here but there was an unbelievable calmness in the thousands of people at President Trump's Butler, PA rally. When gunshots rang out and we saw our President go down, most also went down, took cover. Seconds seemed like hours, even if you were watching on TV. When he rose up and raised his fist in the air triumphantly, so did the crowd with cheers of joy.
What happens in a crowed movie hall if someone yells "FIRE!" or in any type of a possible mass shooting scenario? The most human response is to run to escape, causing a mass stampede towards the exit, trampling people on the way. That did not happen at this rally. There was a calm, orderly exiting.
There could have been massive death and chaos given the thousands of MAGA attendees in a relatively confined space. The Trump supporters there, I believe were foremost concerned for the President's wellbeing over their own safety concerns. I am so proud of how most MAGA believers conduct themselves with dignity, control, commonsense and respect for their fellow citizens. We are proving to America, we are not what the left wants others to believe. We do NOT riot and destroy our own towns and cities, we do not back down and we will NOT give up on defending America. WWG1WGA!
While I can agree with some of what you've said here, I think painting the entire group of rally-goers with a broad brush of disdain is an overreaction. I'd guess that 99% of them had no idea whatsoever that there was a threat nearby until the shots rang out. As OP states, the behavior of the crowd at that point and afterwards was largely commendable. I do, however, agree that the bizarre video-taking reaction so many in our culture have devolved into does not seem healthy nor well-intentioned. It would, in fact, be a topic worthy of discussion in a more even-tempered, less caustic and accusatory tone. Just mho.
As far as those who actually did see the guy up on the roof with the rifle, I agree that they should have been heading to the main area and yelling "GUN!!!" to everyone and their cousin and telling them to spread it into the crowd and over to the security, keep yelling if they still allowed POTUS to get on stage.
There really aren't attendees near enough to POTUS while he's on stage (for his own safety) to be able to do anything to help protect him once the shooting began. It took perhaps a second or two for POTUS to realize what was happening and get down on the ground, another second or two for the SS to pile on top of him and so any spectators getting in the way would have been counterproductive.
There is blame to be had, but I don't think a blanket disparagement of the entire group there is warranted. I know this is upsetting, friend, and there's much in our culture's degradation that has contributed to the lack of action, but these are topics that can and should be discussed, IMHO, in a more thoughtful way.
Yes you are right & I will add a note to my post later to say this. I was extremely upset when I wrote this, as I know we all are. I’m sure we all feel the same.
It’s just so damn fucking frustrating. I hope everyone involved takes a long, hard look at themselves & their actions after all this.