Spiral of Silence

Spiral of Silence

THE SPIRAL OF SILENCE Silence silence... *dun dun dunnnnn* is a theory created by Elisabeth Noelle Neumann that touches on the idea of groupthink and fear of isolation because of a differing opinion. I chose this topic because in my previous blog I talked about the marketplace of ideas. The Spiral of Silence Theory, in my opinion, is the antithesis of the marketplace of ideas. With this theory, it discourages differing opinion and individuality. If people don't speak up, it can end up being a very slippery slope. Take Hitler for example, no one spoke out against him and he killed millions of men, women and children all because he had no one to challenge him. People often fear speaking out because they are afraid of being isolated. This fear isolation leads them to not truly voicing their opinion on an issue because they don't want to be the oddball. No matter who you are, you want to feel like you belong. It's human nature. But this longing of fitting in becomes dangerous when there is no one to speak for the minority. The Spiral helps shape public opinion. The people who are controlling the narrative are usually those in power. Because of this, it takes the voice away from the weaker people and they end up being rolled over because they are afraid to speak out against those in power. Dissenting opinions are important. The Supreme Court writes dissenting opinions all the time. They have the opportunity to correct mistakes that other people made and we should take it upon ourselves to try and do the same. As the late, great Reverand Doctor Martin Luther King said, "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people." When we speak out and challenging others' opinions in a respectful way, we can be the start of a revolution for good.