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Group dynamics and politics
The influence of ideologies on politics
The influence of ideologies on politics
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On Tuesday, November 14, 1995, in what has been perceived as the years biggest non-event, the federal government shut down all "non-essential" services due to what was, for all intents and purposes, a game of national
"chicken" between the House Speaker and the President. And, at an estimated cost of 200 million dollars a day, this dubious battle of dueling egos did not come cheap (Bradsher, 1995,
p.16). Why do politicians find it almost congenitally impossible to cooperate? What is it about politics and power that seem to always put them at odds with good government? Indeed, is an effective, well run government even possible given the current adversarial relationship between our two main political parties? It would seem that the exercise of power for its own sake, and a competitive situation in which one side must always oppose the other on any issue, is incompatible with the cooperation and compromise necessary for the government to function. As the United
States becomes more extreme in its beliefs in general, group polarization and competition, which requires a mutual exclusivity of goal attainment, will lead to more
"showdown" situations in which the goal of good government gives way to political posturing and power-mongering.
In this paper I will analyze recent political behavior in terms of two factors: Group behavior with an emphasis on polarization, and competition. However, one should keep in mind that these two factors are interrelated. Group polarization tends to exacerbate inter-group competition by driving any two groups who initially disagree farther apart in their respective views. In turn, a competitive situation in which one side must lose in order for the other to win (and political situations are nearly always competitive), will codify the differences between groups - leading to further extremism by those seeking power within the group - and thus, to further group polarization.
In the above example, the two main combatants, Bill Clinton and Newt
Gingrich, were virtually forced to take uncompromising, disparate views because of the very nature of authority within their respective political groups. Group polarization refers to the tendency of groups to gravitate to the extreme of whatever opinion the group shares (Baron &
Graziano, 1991, p.498-99). Therefore, if the extreme is seen as a desirable characteri...
... middle of paper ...
...roup of extreme, right wing,
"constitutionalists" who were apparently trying to turn frustration with the federal government into open revolution.
I do not think these examples are aberrations or flukes, but are, instead, indicative of structural defects in our political system. If we are not aware of the dangers of extremism and competition, we may, in the end, be destroyed by them. References
Baron, B.M., & Graziano, W.G. (1991). Social Psychology. Fort Worth,
TX. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.
Bradsher, K. (1995, November 18). Country may be losing money with government closed. The New York
Times, pp.16
Kohn, A. (1986). No Contest: The Case Against Competition. Boston,
Houghton Mifflin.
No Author. (1995, March 24). [internet] What Wilson has said about entering race. San Jose Mercury News Online.
Address:http://www.sjmercury.com/wilson/wil324s.htm
Thurm, S. (1995, August 29). [internet] Wilson's 'announcement' more of an ad: California governor kicks off drive for GOP presidential nomination. San Jose Mercury News Online.
Address:http://www.sjmercury.com/wilson/wil829.htm
Turgue, B., & Thomas, E. (1995, November 27). Missing the moment.
Newsweek, pp.26-29.
Furthermore, he introduces the idea that popular polarization is different from partisan polarization and that sorting has occurred within the parties. Meaning that “those who affiliate with a party… are more likely to affiliate with the ideologically ‘correct’ party than they were [before]” (Fiorina et al. 61). To illustrate the concept of polarization he uses a figure with marble filled urns. These urns depict red blue and gray marbles with r for republican d for democrat and i for independent. When polarization, all gray independent marbles disappear becoming either red or blue.
The novel, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald is first person and uses the vantage point of Nick Caraway. The story is told through the eyes of Nick and all character development is through Nick’s mind. Nick’s values, attitudes, and judgments are the way they are because of Nick’s past. The way Nick was raised reflects his values judgments and Nick is the narrator behind the story, vocalizing how he perceives things that take place in the story. Nick’s judgments of main characters Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby are shaped because of his judgments and values.
In discussing the problems surrounding the issue of factionalism in American society, James Madison concluded in Federalist #10, "The inference to which we are brought is that the causes of cannot be removed and that relief is only to be sought in the means of controlling its effects." (Federalist Papers 1999, 75) In many ways, the nature of American politics has revolved around this question since our country's birth. What is the relationship between parties and government? Should the party serve as an intermediary between the populace and government, and how should a government respond to disparate ideas espoused by the factions inherent to a free society. This paper will discuss the political evolution that has revolved around this question, examining different "regimes" and how they attempted to reconcile the relationship between power and the corresponding role of the people. Beginning with the Federalists themselves, we will trace this evolution until we reach the contemporary period, where we find a political climate described as "interest-group liberalism." Eventually this paper will seek to determine which has been the most beneficial, and which is ultimately preferable.
Guns are not the trouble, people are. The United States is #1 in world gun ownership, and yet is only 28th in the world in gun murders per 100,000 people. The number of unintentional fatalities due to firearms declined by 58 percent between 1991 and 2011 Based on these facts, one can see the guns not the causes of gun violence. moreover, civilians who get permits take gun safety courses and have criminal background...
A man by the name of Sean Faircloth, who is an author, an attorney, and a five-term state legislator from Maine; went against Sam Harris to give his own beliefs on the ordeal. Faircloth also wrote an article for The Week in response to Harris titled, “Why more guns won’t make us safer” in which he claims that Harris neglected the two largest problems involving gun-violence. Faircloth believes that Harris failed to acknowledge the substantial issue of gun-related domestic violence against women, and the success of gun-control legislation in foreign countries. Utilizing statistics, real world examples, and his own logic; Faircloth goes in depth with his core arguments. He wrote his article to dissuade the readers of Sam Harris’s article that “Why I own guns” lacks
Growing up on the south side of Chicago in the roughest neighborhood in the city I learned a lot from others and just observing my surroundings. At times, I would always think to myself my situation could always be worse than it was, and that there is always someone who is doing worst off than me. But my situation turned from being in a bad position to being in a position where my mother would come to lose her mother and our home that we had been living in, all in the same year. After losing her mother and bother my mom lost herself in her emotions and shut down on everyone and with that came the loss of a home for me and my siblings and her job. Shortly after my mom began to go back to church and so did we. It was the first time in a log time that we had attended church and it played a big part in a learning experience for me and my siblings. Through the days that came to pass going to church sparked a desire of wanting to help others who had or are struggling to get by. My mentor, Pastor, and teacher deserves appreciation for helping my mother through a hard time and keeping me and my siblings active in a positive manor.
Eighty-nine people die from gun violence in the United States every day according to the Brady Campaign , from school children to victims of domestic violence to people going about their daily lives. As we mourn the lives of those killed in incidents of gun violence across the country, we need to take action. We should all do everything in our power to keep tragedies like this from happening again. When it comes to addressing mass shootings, we need new answers
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby demonstrates what Marie-Laure Ryan, H. Porter Abbott and David Herman state about what narratology should be. These theorists emphasize the importance of conflict, human experience, gaps and consciousness, among many other elements, in order for a story to be considered a narrative. The Great Gatsby shows these elements throughout the book in an essential way. This makes the reader become intrigued and desperate to know what will happen next. The Great Gatsby is unpredictable throughout the use of gaps, consciousness and conflict.
Some people say that college athletes get paid by having a scholarship, but if you look at it a different way, scholarships might change your mind. Coaches try to get players who they think have the talent to make them win and to persuade them to come to their school by offering them scholarships. The whole idea behind a scholarship is to lure the athlete into coming to your school. Scholarships are nothing more than a recruitment tactic. They will give you a scholarship as long as you produce for them. It’s all about what you can do for them. Indeed these scholarships pay for tuition, room and board, and books, but these athletes don’t have money for other necessities. The NCAA doesn’t want friends or boosters to offer athletes jobs because they ...
The pluralistic scholar David Truman notes that “the proliferation of political interest groups [is] a natural and largely benign consequence of economic development” (Kernell 2000, 429). That is, as American economic development increases, in the form of industry, trade, and technology, factions are produced in order to protect special interests. Factions have a large platform on which to find support from various political parties, committees, subcommittees, and the courts, as well as federal, state, and local governments (Kernell 2000, 429).
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Violence reports “On average, 32 Americans are murdered with guns every day and 140 are treated for a gun assault in an emergency room” (Lunceford 1). This is an alarming rate of unnecessary deaths; voting Americans need to view this as a public health issue that needs to be addressed logically, much like obesity or motor vehicle accidents. In previous health crisis campaigns such as drunk driving, the goal was to prevent the danger before it ever happened; this is the way we need to look at gun control in America, making it a priority to vote, and elect the right public officials who will make gun safety their goal in public
Gun violence is a huge problem because of the things that are possibly causing it to occur. Violence like this isn’t just affect the family/families involved, but it affects the community as one. It affects the children of the community the most. For children, being exposed to gun violence it can lead to a deep impact: aggression, insomnia, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress (The Impact.) Something like this would cause children to stay inside more; they would be too scared to go outside and play. Gun violence is a problem because it’s killing our population. It’s a problem because young children and adults lives are taken before they can even experience “life.” It’s a problem because it’s killing innocent people, not just people who are guilty of something. It’s a problem because more Americans now die from guns rather than cars. It’s a problem because people take advantage of the Second Amendment and their rights. It’s a problem because it’s the second-leading cause of death for ages 1-19 in the U.S. It’s a problem because it’s slowly escalating into something revolting that hasn’t even happened yet. Gun control obviously causes so many drastic problems, but there are courageous measures that have to be taken in order for there to be a
Gun violence is a significant matter in America’s society today, but how can America initiate change? America needs to start confronting this situation as if it could be rectified. According to Josh Sanburn, in his article “Can we curb gun violence by treating it like a disease?” he claims that gun violence can be cured by meeting with and counseling those who were victimized before they in turn become the ones inflicting violence. The reason individuals will inflict the same pain they suffered onto another person is for vengeance. Therefore, having the ability to diagnose gun violence can result in less destruction and a more civilized future.
I assisted teachers, spoke to the kids as well aided the janitorial crew. However, there was this young kid, who was always picked on and made fun of. His mother had died when he was at a young age, and his dad is always working to support the rest of his family. He didn’t have much luxury as other kids in the already poor area. I talked to him and he opened up to me. He told me about his feelings and family and everything that he has been through. I showed empathy and put myself in his shoes. He told me that I was one of the first people that had actually tried understanding and caring about what has happened in his life. After we had talked, it seemed like he was feeling better and happier. I felt truly humble after doing this because I realized that several people experience problems and issues in their lives. Various people aren’t as fortunate as I am, however, giving back and helping them, allowed me to understand, and encouraged me to create a
Socialization is characterized as the methodology of taking in one's society and how to live inside it. There are numerous types of socialization: Essential socialization is the methodology whereby individuals take in the demeanor, values, and activities fitting to people as parts of a specific society. The significant organization answerable for this sort of taking in is the family. Optional socialization alludes to procedure of taking in - what is proper conduct as a part of a more modest gathering inside the bigger social order. It is normally connected with young people and grown-ups, and includes more diminutive progressions than those happening in essential socialization. E.g. entering another calling and moving to another environment or social order.