Some humans like to follow the majority mostly because they do not want to disappoint rather than because they agree. Do you think that staying quiet shows you agree with a point of view? Many do not, and because of their disbelief words like Activism have a much stronger meaning to those that express their view point. What are your thoughts?
Well, I don't know that it "shows" that you agree, but it is usually taken to mean that. People generally assume if they express a view and you don't offer a counterview it is because you don't have one.
I am often silent even if I disagree if I don't think it is my place to disagree. In other words, I remain silent unless I have some stake in the discussion or we are actually discussing our opinions as opposed to them just expressing their opinion.
Especially, if the person seems to be venting rather than seeking my opinion.
International Level: Diplomat / Political Participation: 320 32%
I think sometimes people go with the majority because they are worried about their image or they're indifferent and don't know what to believe, so they just trust the majority. However, I think in many situations it is important for people to stand and support what is right instead of what is popular. There's a lot of apathy in the world today.
While someone may not always be giving consent when they say nothing, it does come off as it. If someone's going on and on about something and someone just stands there, it looks as if you have no qualms with what they're saying. Or if someone's getting picked on and you don't join in, but don't stop it either, it still looks like you are enjoying the joke just as much as the next kid.
Tenaheff - I agree.
There's another point too. As the world moves away from a belief in absolutes, it looks to other sources for truth - the majority view is one that is often perceived as a viable replacement.
It's not of course.
Dubhdara.
International Level: Junior Politician / Political Participation: 100 10%
I am an extremelly outspoken person, I am definetly not the kind of staying in silence if I don't agree with someone, now if the person is talking a group of people and not specifically to me, I may decide to ignore it just because I don't see the sense of it BUT if the person is talking directly to me, definetly I would say something!
International Level: International Guru / Political Participation: 1089 100%
When it comes to the government and politics, not speaking is the same as agreement. Voting is one way of speaking out what you believe. Speaking out doesn't have to be in a loud voice on the street corner, it could be in the voting booth showing your opinions via your vote. But like voting, if you say nothing, its a vote for the majority. If you won't say anything in defense of your position or belief, or even state your beliefs, its the same as a vote for the majority. The one thing I always had a problem was with those saying they didn't like Clinton, but they didn't vote. How can you complain about the problem when you refused to be part of the solution. Bush hasn't had a great approval rating since his first term, but obviously everyone that didn't like the job he was doing didn't vote or he would not have been in office a second term. In a free country it is your job to voice your opinion or you allow someone else to determine what gets done.
"My generation's apathy. I'm disgusted with it. I'm disgusted with my own apathy too, for being spineless and not always standing up against racism, sexism and all those other -isms the counterculture has been whinning about for years." : Kurt Cobain (American Musician and Singer of the grunge rock band Nirvana. 1967-1994)