Groupthink And Influence Essay

It was upon these concepts of liberty, justice for all, and equality that became the foundation of America and its government. Many citizens claim that these ideals are still believed in and upheld today, yet the black NFL football players who kneeled during the national anthem at a game believe otherwise. According to Bretherton, the black players such as Kaepernick and Reid kneeled to “raise the question of why citizens of color, despite the promise of equality, still live (and die) as lesser Americans” (Bretheron 2). The players took a knee in order to raise awareness and bring attention to the discrimination colored citizens of America are facing today, such as police brutality. Although the players kneeled to invite the people of America to enter with them in a new, deeper kind of a relationship, where all are given mutual respect, the public misunderstood this act of courage as an act of disrespect and incivility towards America. These people, including President Trump, claim that the players are “disrespecting ‘our country, our flag [and] our national anthem” (Bretherton 1). The dilemma, thus, is that our

Kneeling during the national anthem is not just wrong it is also disrespectful to the multitudes in our country who have served or or presently serving this great nation-- the United States of America. The national anthem represents many things. One of them is the fortitude of our country’s flag. In the anthem it declares that the United States of America is “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” The flag represents the very core and essence of our nation as the only land on the continent that offers its citizens the freedoms it has at the price paid for ultimately by the brave. It is in no way oppressive nor racist. It is the theme song for every American. The intended audience of this paper is an appeal to all Americans. The quarterback of the 49ers football team, Colin Kaepernick, first began a protest to draw attention to a series of incidents against African Americans by remaining seated during the national anthem, “the Star Spangled Banner.” After the great stir Kaepernick caused in the media during September 2016, Kaepernick switched up his protest by taking a knee as a nod or gesture of showing more respect to current and former military after receiving an in-depth letter from Nate Boyer a former NFL player and US military veteran. Boyer served our country as a Green Beret. Over a decade ago, Boyer witnessed genocide while working in Sudan. He met numerous African men who were smitten with America and longed to have the

The hypothesis of experiment that "Under the pressure of group opinion, people tend to decide the appropriate decision group" has not been confirmed. The real participant of the experiment has been agree to the group opinion, only in cases if the answer to a questions were initially correct. In cases where the answer to the questions were vague and did not have a clear solutions, the real participant answered differedly from the opinion of the confederates, relying on her own opinion. Thus, in spite of the numerous sources refer to the fact that a person is subject to the opinion of the group, in order to maintain inner peace, intra group harmony, and have been proposed that social conformity serves as an emotional buffer that protects individuals

In a demonstration of solidarity, more than one hundred and thirty NFL players have chosen to sit, kneel, or raise a fist during the national anthem. This is a movement that began last season when 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick chose to take a knee to protest police brutality against people of color. Although Kaepernick didn’t have much support from fellow players at the time, a recent turn of events has changed things. President Donald Trump’s recent commentary calling out those who chose to protest created contempt for him in the NFL community. In Megan Garber’s 2017 article entitled “They Took a Knee,” she examines exactly what Trump said and considers the impact of his words. It is indisputable that both the NFL players and our President

San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, has immersed himself into a world of controversy by refusing to stand for the playing of the national anthem in protest of wrong-doings against African Americans and other minorities in the United States. Kaepernick's statement on this issue, when asked why he was not standing was, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” So naturally, the debate over whether or not Kaepernick’s reasons for kneeling were valid began.

The acknowledgment of group conformity dates back at least to the 17th century all the way to the present, including psychologists who conducted series of social psychology experiments such as the Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram, Solomon Asch, Phillip Zimbardo, James A. F. Stoner and many more. It is important to have an understanding of group dynamics and how they can hinder the ability and willingness of a group to think critically of itself, to look outside itself for help, and to act in ways that might compromise the equilibrium or status-quo. Solomon Ash, Phillip Zimbardo, James stoner and Stanley Milgram studies show how shows how group identification and pressure can override realistic assessment of different courses of thought and action; leading to conformity.

Before every National Football League game, the national anthem reverberates throughout the colossal stadiums. Spectators rise from their seats, nod rhythmically, and when the tune finishes, they get raucous. However, Colin Kaepernick, a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, shattered this ritual two months ago. Before their season opener, Kaepernick elected to remain seated for the national anthem. Importantly, it took three successive weeks of him doing this for anyone to notice his silent protest. However, when audiences did notice, every form of media exploded with a myriad of headlines and opinions on the situation. With the nation impatiently waiting for answers, Kaepernick asserted that standing for the anthem implied that he was proud of the country, and since our country oppresses black people, he could no longer be proud of it, and therefore refused to stand. Although that sentiment resonated with many, for every Kaepernick supporter, there seemed to be an equal number that were vehemently opposed. Some members of the opposing faction hurled horrific racial slurs and other venomous words at Kaepernick in an effort to degrade him, while others respectfully said that he should focus on football, and if he were so inclined to protest social issues, he could do so on a different platform. It’s important to note, though, that Kaepernick’s silent form of protest and the subsequent reaction isn’t new. In no way should that belittle his actions, but protesting

During the 2016 preseason of the National Football League (NFL), San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, quietly sat during a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. It was this day when controversy sparked and gained nationwide attention, and the backfire begins. Kaepernick saw all the terrifying events happening all over the media; he felt “furious, hurt and hopeless” that many unarmed African Americans are being killed by the police. Kaepernick wanted to give attention to what was happening, so he voiced his beliefs by peacefully protesting. NFL players such as Kaepernick should use their celebrity to calmly protest by kneeling during the National Anthem to stand for what is right and fight the injustice in America.

The great ancient thinker Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates emphasized the importance of meaningful questioning and inspiration. What good is living a life not searching for answers and inspiration? Unfortunately, if Socrates had made this statement in today’s world, he would have been sent to a therapist to check his mental state. Our world has become so advanced so quickly over the last century that today’s youngest generation no longer questions. This lifestyle of contentedness and stagnation has brought about one of the most dangerous media buzzwords of all time: groupthink. Loosely defined, groupthink occurs when individuals value beliefs held by a group they belong to over individual belief. The

To what extent do those around us affect the way we think; they we perceive a situation; or they way we form our prerogatives? There are many different trains of thought, some of which are adopted, others of which are taken into account based on experience and periods of introspection, but there is one that lies with it, a fundamental difference in comparison to others: the group mind. To which it involves several individuals, a group mind is in essence, a collective following to a set of beliefs and/or practices, usually brought together through forms of social pressure and preconceived notions of moral obligation. Furthermore, these groups are often characterized by the absence of individualism and a sense of obliviousness towards how

Subsequently, individual’s or group’s behavior is determined by social pressure which comes under three ways of belief of what others think, what experts think and motivation to comply with others. Figure 2.3 gives a clear picture about the theory.

In this story, an author has also explained about his observation done between college students. The college students were asked to give their opinions on various matter like choices which, resulted with argumentative situation opposing to their own opinions, many subjects apparently shifted their judgments in the direction of the views of majority or experts. The sheer weight of number or authority sufficed to change opinion, even when no arguments for the opinions themselves were provided. There is some reason to wonder whether it was not the investigation who, in their enthusiasm for a theory, were suggestible and whether the seemingly gullible subjects were not providing answers which they thought were good subjects to discuss. The author describes a series of experiment which have not only confirmed the finding that group pressure can shape opinion, but also raised

Major media outlets erupted in a firestorm when former NFL San Francisco 49ers Quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, silently protested the injustices and the mistreatment of African Americans in the United States. During a pre-season football game in August 2016, Kaepernick remained seated during the playing of the National Anthem. Many of Kaepernick’s supporters will argue that his actions, and those of other athletes that have since joined him in this protest, are justified and are acceptable, by today's standards. Conversely, those opposing Kaepernick’s actions argue that anyone who chooses to remain seated or to kneel during the National Anthem is a disgrace to the United States and this action should not be tolerated. Consequently, these protests have sparked outrageous controversy and division across the nation and have also been anything but silent.

This Sunday more than one hundred players from thirteen teams in the National Football League took a knee during “The National Anthem”. Football players apart of this movement promote awareness for police brutality and for the multitude of biased killings of African Americans. This protest has gained the attention of the nation and has brought awareness to millions by using the most peaceful and legal way to express one’s beliefs with one simple act; taking a knee.

On August 14, 2016, Colin Kaepernick, quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers National Football League, kneeled for the United States national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner. By kneeling, he was protesting against racism and police brutality. In the last year, the issue of police brutality towards blacks has become a major public topic of conversation. This controversial issue led to Kaepernick standing up for blacks’ rights and protesting against police brutality by kneeling. Many Americans were shocked and angered by the act of the famous footballer player kneeling during the anthem, as they thought it was disrespectful to the United States government, soldiers, and citizens. Kaepernick was just the start of the protest; now, many other teams, players, and U.S. citizens are joining the protest as well. This controversial act has caused mixed feelings and emotions. The common standard for the American national anthem has been to stand with one’s hand over their heart. What would happen if some people protested against it by not standing? The effects of people not continuing this tradition is surprising: it leads to violence, increased promotion of racial equality, and possible changes in the American culture.