Why it's important to speak up even when no one seems to hear you
Miscellaneous / / March 19, 2022
Every vote can matter.
We have been told since childhood that silence is golden. This proverb is interpreted by anyone in what much. And in the end, many endure for themselves that in any incomprehensible situation it is better not to say anything - out of fear, out of unwillingness to stand out from the crowd, from a premonition of future benefits, because of thoughts about the futility of words - still no one convince.
But sometimes, in order to preserve spiritual wealth, it is worth choosing the word-silver.
It can give new information to the doubters
Imagine any controversy on social media. Representatives of extreme positions usually clash in the comments. If the discussion is good, then they endlessly throw arguments at each other with references and evidence. If not really, everything quickly slides into mutual insults. And it seems, why all this, because they still won’t be able to convince each other.
But not only speakers participate in this discussion. She has a lot more silent viewers. Some of them have an unshakable opinion. But others are shaping it right now. Not everyone has the resources to independently study information, dig in different directions, just think about something, especially if it does not directly concern them, does not threaten them right at this moment. And from what they see and hear like this, in passing, a lot depends.
This is also why it is important not to lose the presence of mind, no matter how the opponent behaves. You are trying not for him, but for the doubters. Therefore, it is important to save face and present arguments. From mutual insults, the audience will endure little. And research, statistics and other evidence will help them form a point of view based on facts.
This will help give your opponents some thought.
In the moment of a heated argument, especially a public one, people usually do not change their point of view. Because not to fall into the dirt face, to win is often more important than the search for truth.
But change your mind fine for a thinking person. Even scientists who rely on calculations and evidence do this. For example, Pluto was considered a classic planet for a long time, but then fell out of the clip and was recognizedPluto/International Astronomical Union dwarf planet. And in the field of health, they believed that diseases cause miasmDeath and miasma in Victorian London: an obstinate belief / British Medical Journal, but later discovered viruses and bacteria.
Not that there are really many chances to convince the opponent. But if you already feel in yourself the resource not to be silent, use it.
This will be an example for others.
And again, let's start with the simplest example: imagine a chat for parents of kindergarteners in the messenger. Some active dad offers to arrange a holiday for the children and throw off 10 thousand rubles for this. And some gladly accept the offer: we only live once! The enthusiasm is growing, so it seems that no one will be ready to say what many people think: 10 thousand is a lot.
But here is a daredevil who is the first to voice it. He is not afraid that they will attack him, he is ready for this. And suddenly other dissenters begin to write to the chat after him, because they, too, are no longer afraid. As a result, when organizing a holiday, it is possible to reach a compromise with which everyone more or less agrees.
This works not only in the parent chat. Of course, there is always the risk that the daredevil will be devoured. But that's what courage is all about - to act, even knowing the possibility of a negative outcome.
It affects public opinion
The spiral of silence is designationSpiral of silence / Britannika sociological concept. According to her, people are more likely to express their opinion if they believe that they are adjacent to the majority. And vice versa: the less popular their position seems, the more silent they are.
The result is the following:
- People who hold different views are increasingly afraid to express them.
- Due to the fact that only citizens with one position speak out, it seems that the whole society adheres to one idea.
- Those who doubt and are indifferent join the majority.
Moreover, based on this concept, public opinion can be controlled. If you create the illusion that an unpopular opinion is supported by the majority, then over time it will turn out that way, because people will adjoin it.
So every vote counts.
This will allow you not to be an accomplice of evil
Protestant pastor Martin NiemoellerMartin Niemöller "First they came for the socialists" / The Museum's Holocaust Encyclopedia at first he was a supporter of Hitler, then an ardent opponent (a good illustration of the thesis that it is normal to change your mind). He was sent to a concentration camp, where he survived. He then spoke at length about citizen complicity in the Holocaust and the risks of apathy. It is to him that the famous poem belongs:
First they came for the socialists, and I said nothing -
After all, I'm not a socialist.
Then they came for the union members and I said nothing -
After all, I'm not a union member.
Then they came for the Jews, and I said nothing -
Because I'm not a Jew.
Then they came for me and there was no one left
to intercede for me.
Niemoller's idea is that it is dangerous to think that this or that problem of society does not concern all its representatives. You can cover your face with your palms and pretend that you are in a house. For a while you can live like this, because someone else is offended. But one day, hands will have to be lowered to face the consequences of silence.
Sometimes being indifferent means being an accomplice.
It could save life and freedom
Voices matter. For example, when bullying in a team importantD. L. Hawkins, D. J. Pepler, W. M. Craig Naturalistic Observations of Peer Interventions in Bullying / Social Development witness behavior. If they somehow encourage the aggressor - for example, with a smile - bullying intensifies. And the attempts of eyewitnesses to intervene, on the contrary, restrain the pursuer.
Or in Russia, many cases are about self defense are initially classified as murders. However, history knows cases when wide publicity helped people who defended themselves not to go to jail. For example, Aleksandra Ivannikova stabbed a taxi driver who tried to rape her. They tried to try her for intentional bodily harm, then for murder in a state of passion. They even gave me two years probation. But under the pressure of public opinion, the verdict managed to challengeThe girl who killed the rapist was fully acquitted / Izvestia. In the end, prosecutors dropped the charges.
And journalist Ivan Golunov was detained in 2019 on suspicion of drug trafficking. In his backpack, according to the reports of law enforcement officers, they found a bag with a certain substance, and in the apartment - almost a drug laboratory. This was followed by a wave of mass actions in his support. As a result, Golunov releasedJournalist Ivan Golunov released from police, admitting that the case was a set-up.
This will keep your self-respect
A person usually has something to lose. And you can take a lot from him. And he is also responsible for others - elderly parents, minor children. Therefore, it is not fair to encourage him to always and everywhere tell the truth, freely express his opinion and put everything he has at stake. Each proceeds from his input and from his resource.
However, it is often not so significant what people around think. What matters is how he treats himself. Sometimes being silent is enough to stop considering yourself a good person. And if feeling morally right matters, sometimes it's better to talk.
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