《乌合之众·第一编·群体的心理·群体的观念、推理与想象力》第13节
It is not, then, the facts in themselves that strike the popular imagination, but the way in which they take place and are brought under notice. It is necessary that by their condensation, if I may thus express myself, they should produce a startling image which fills and besets the mind. To know the art of impressing the imagination of crowds is to know at the same time the art of governing them.
注释摘要
勒庞在这一节中试图论证，群体想象力的真正触发点，不在于事件本身的严重程度或统计意义，而在于事件被呈现和浓缩成视觉化形象的方式。他举出几个精心选择的对比：巴黎一场流感夺走五千人的生命，但公众对此几乎无感，因为死亡以每周统计数字的形式零星发布，难以在头脑中凝结成一个令人震惊的画面；反之，如果埃菲尔铁塔在公众眼前轰然倒塌，即便死亡人数只有五百，那种瞬间的视觉冲击…