Chp. 29 Spiral of Silence

Chapter 29, Spiral of Silence, is a theory that says we live in fear of isolation, and have the ability to assess the public opinion. Spiral of Silence is termed as the increasing pressure people feel to conceal their views when they think they are the minority. In class, we watched the South Park clip when everyone thought Kenny had head lice. I thought that clip was a great example to show what Spiral of Silence encompasses and how it works in our society. I had my own Spiral of Silence experience around Christmas time with my boyfriends' family. Rick (my boyfriend) and his entire extended family are against abortion. Well, on Christmas, unaware of the family mentality, the topic came up about abortion and I shared that I was pro-choice. I cannot say I would have an abortion myself, but I do feel that it is someone's choice to do what they want. After seeing the reaction of Rick's family's faces, I quickly tried to change my view point and say that I was not being serious, and that "of course I thought abortion was wrong." I changed my own thought because I did not want to be looked down upon by his family, which, if I think about it, I know they would not think less of me even if they did know I was pro-choice. My fear of being isolated and labeled as the minority quickly changed my mind, and made me suppress my true feelings on the subject.