Silencing

When I saw the prompt for today’s post I thought silencing?? After thinking about it--well it is something we are all guilty of. After reading Sustein, my thoughts on silencing are related to group silencing and social silencing.

Silencing in collective decision-making I believe refers to group members’ unwillingness to express unpopular opinions, and the reluctance to publicly express private concerns about collective problems if the individual believes that other members are likely to disagree with them. It is somehow easier to just remain quiet at times.

One example of group silencing I can think of is the decision to go to war with Iraq. It was revealed some time ago that many individuals close to Bush knew the “evidence” intelligence had that Iraq harbored weapons of mass destruction were not credible, but those individuals chose to remain silent. Was it fear of being alienated by the group, the President or by all of the citizens of the US?

I also think of social silencing which, involves social comparison, and begins with the reasonable suggestion that people want to be perceived favorably by other group members, and also to perceive themselves favorably. Once they hear what others believe, they often adjust their positions in the direction of the dominant position. For example, a 14 year old will likely not sit at a lunch table with other kids that are not in his or her peer group, or that are “different” for fear of being exiled from his or her current social group. Remaining silent and ignoring the “other” kids is easier than having to explain yourself to your peers.