Spiral of Silence

After the horrific tragedy that took place at Virginia Tech just about a week ago, major controversy was brewing. NBC showed viewers pictures, letters, and videos of the shooter responsible for the greatest mass shooting in U.S history. A lot of people started to complain and a few of the parents who lost a loved one in the tragedy refused to hold an interview w/NBC. My initial reaction to all of this outrage was shock. I thought how could anyone not want to see what horrible person he was? What better closure for the students then to have a face to put with the action that has caused so many people pain?
But as the spiral of silence conveys, people feel pressured to conceal their views when they think they’re in the minority. I did just that.

The theory also says that TV accelerates the spiral of silence, which, in this case it did. The more outrage that people expressed on the showing of the videos, the more outnumbered I felt. The more I started to wonder…maybe I’m wrong? Maybe showing this video is humiliating for people, and NBC shouldn’t be showing it….
I know I was not the only person in America who didn’t think it was wrong. Yet all I saw in the media was the opposing opinion of mine, that it is horrible.

I feel this theory is very applicable to life in general. No one likes to be alone, and no one likes to be looked at as “different.” The more you hear blue is everyone’s favorite color, the more you start to wonder if maybe it’s really your favorite color too. It all sounds silly, but it is pretty true. In my case with these videos, I truly felt almost disgusted with myself for not thinking it was wrong to show the videos. My opinion started to sway the more interviews w/students I saw saying how the media needs to stop focusing on the killer, and focus on the lives lost. I found myself nodding. Yet, then, one student said, “If you don’t want to see the videos, don’t turn on the TV. No one is making you watch them.” I nodded again, and was glad that he reassured my initial opinion. The fear of isolation kept me quiet, and the media definitely pushed the majority opinion. This theory is very accurate in my opinion.