"What defines 'the masses' is not some political purpose, economic interest, or sheer numerical majority, but the vector of departure — the movement away from the position one has been assigned." That's the point he draws. When, at some trigger, individuals who have slipped out of their assigned position come together through shared experience and form a current flowing in a certain direction, only then can we call that "the masses." But if they stay loyal to their given status and role, no matter how many gather, they are only a "crowd," never "the masses."
— Masses and Currents — A Political Sociology of Masses and Class
By Lee Jin-gyeong / Greenbee, 20,000 won
- Source and more details: http://blog.daum.net/kjw77/13756275
