Group Think is a very dangerous communication tactic. There is way to much group think in our society today. It fosters misinformation and can lead to riots, violence, and murder. Mob mentality is a form of group think.
Whatever happened to the independent thinking American? Can you think for yourself, or do you need someone else's opinion to tell you what to think? Do you get your thinking from MSNBC, FOX, or some other broadcast to lead you to your opinions and decisions? Do you just agree with friends and family without thinking about how you see an issue? Are you afraid to speak differently around those who all agree on an issue?
Free speech is more than a right it is an obligation to yourself to be honest with yourself and others without fear of being rejected. It does take courage to voice your opinion when you know everyone else disagrees with you.
Just a small example: During the last midterm elections there was a fever among the liberals (which I usually align myself with) of voting a straight Democratic ticket; no exceptions allowed. I announced that I would not be voting for the Democrat running in my district because he had 23 criminal convictions on his record. The backlash from these liberals was fierce and fast. I was called names. I was banned from blogs. I was called sick and mentally ill. This negative Group Think reaction was predictable. No one had the courage to say in front of their liberal group that it seemed like a rational decision on my part, for fear they might be the next target of their attacks.
Group Think is a big part of our current political partisanship which has led to violence. It's amazing how fast mob mentality can take over and scary what a mob is capable of doing.
So start thinking for yourself. Forget the blogs you read. Forget what the idiot in the boob tube is preaching at you. Think about it. What might you be willing to do just to go along with the crowd?
Here's a song that will remind you:
Let Me Be
No comments:
Post a Comment