Spiral of Silence

In class we learned about the Spiral of Silence, which says that people won't share their opinions if they are in the minority. It also says that people live in fear of isolating themselves. I agree with this theory. I definitely think people either go with the majority or don't say anything when they're in the minority so they won't cause an argument or debate, or because they're afraid of being judged.

Part of the reason I agree with this is because I consciously do this all the time. I'm always worried about how people perceive me, so most of the time I don't give my opinion. I sit and listen to other people's opinions if they disagree with me and strengthen my opinion because of it. Another reason I do this is because depending on the subject, I'm not always educated enough to have a debate with someone. I feel the way I do just because, facts going one way or the other aren't going to change that.

I think an example of the spiral of silence would be the Holocaust. Hitler was rallying up Jews and other minorities he didn't care for and the rest of the Germans stood and watched, not because they condoned his actions, but because they thought everyone else did. Granted they likely didn't know that he was murdering people, but simply going along with Hitler as he blamed the Jews is an example of this.