The Spiral of Silence - Everybody Loves Raymond

In this clip, anne's parents come to the Barone house for Easter weekend. When Anne's father asks about going to a Presbyterian church, Marie tells him that they should all go to their Catholic church. It is clear that Anne's parents are uncofortable with going to the Catholic church however they decide to not voice so. Her mother says that they suppose they can go to the Catholic church with uncertainty in her voice. Her father stays quiet about it but it is obvious that he doesnt agree with his later comments about going.

I chose this clip because while it doesnt involve the media, it does involve a situation where people with the minority opinion (the Presbyterians in a Catholic household) make the choice to stay silent in fear of isolation. Instead of saying that they do not agree with going to the Catholic church or suggesting that they all go to their church, one changes her opinion and the other stays quiet. The room has a tense feel to it to begin with since they are meeting each other for the first time, therefore the fear of being isolated in a room of unfamiliar faces seems to be high.

In any situation, whether the media has created it or not, people will fear having the minority opinion and choose to not speak out. They would rather go along with the crowd, even if it means going against beliefs. Anne's parents, while making small comments that show their disapproval of the situation, never stand up for themselves and speak out about what they believe in. In turn, the room gets more uncomfortable and everyone tries to change the subject.

The Spiral of Silence - Shindler's List

The movie "Schindler's List" is about a man in Nazi Germany named Oskar Schindler who ran a factory which was run by Jews in order to save them from concentration camps. As everyone is well aware, Nazi Germany is the perfect example of the Spiral of Silence. Hitler used massive amounts of propoganda to get across his ideals and because of this, many people we put into concentration camps and tortured. Many people knew that Hitler's ideals were wrong, but they recceded into the silent minority.

The reason I chose this specific clip is because it shows the end of the movie and the war has ended. The reason the war has ended is because of people like Schindler who were hard core. Schindler spent all of his money to take hundreds of Jews and have them work in his factory to save then from the horrible fate of the concentration camps. The definition of a hard core group is groups the the end of the spiral willing to speak out at any cost. Well, not only did Schindler waste all of him money saving the lives of these people, but as shown in the clip, he also risked his own.

While his factory was running, even though it was technically a Nazi factory, Schindler always had the risk that someone would find out he was using the factory as a way to help out the Jews rather than put them to work. This would have put his life in danger. In addition, because he had run a Nazi factory, once the war ended he was seen as a criminal and he was to be punished. This was the cost he faced for saving so many people, and he did not care. He only cared that he had done the right thing and saved them. This makes him part of the hard core group.

Spiral of Silence

In the Spiral of Silence Theory, one of the main assumptions is that public behavior is affected by public opinion assessment. This is shown in the picture I posted showing a Yankees' fan holding a sign during a Red Sox-Yankees game in Boston. The public opinion of being a Red Sox fan is affecting the behavior of the Yankees' fan with the sign. The fan is rooting for his team even more than usual even though public opinion says to root for the Red Sox. Sometimes public opinion can influence public behavior inversely such as is in this case. This also shows that public opinion assessment affects the behavior of certain people. The Red Sox fan next to him has a "thumbs-down” signal, which tells him that he is not welcome according to public opinion. However he decides since he is not welcome, he will root for the Yankees even harder. This shows how public opinion affects public behavior.

In the video I posted, a Red Sox fan (holding the camera) makes his way through the bleachers at Yankee Stadium trying to get to his seat. He is being heckled by Yankee fans who show their hatred for the Red Sox fan. The Red Sox fan chooses not to say anything and quietly makes his way to his seat. He chooses not to say anything because he does not want to start any fights or even be noticed in a hated environment. He is being silenced by the opinion of the Yankee Stadium crowd. This is the effect of the public opinion on public behavior, which is one of the major assumptions of the Spiral of Silence Theory.

Spiral of Silence Theory: The Nazi'propaganda

Spiral of Silence is a theory which suggests that media influences people, and the Nazi’s campaign during World WarⅡis a good example.

Adolf Hitler is known for his skillful speeches, but his propaganda also helped the party get a large amount of support from the citizens. This clip of footage is an example of Nazi propaganda from 1939, which shows German military maneuvers of tanks, troops, and combat planes. It suggests that the Nazi party is superior to other countries and displays their great source of power. It says that their combat planes can even fly under bad weather conditions. It also describes that people are watching the sky with some fear, but at the same time they are smiling for hope and faith. The film is made with brave music and emphasizes the Nazi’s military strength. Also, it shows German tanks moving in to attack the Soviet Union.

Nazis used not only films, but also other media such as newspapers, radio and magazines. The magazine “Signal” was a magazine which was published by the Nazi party from 1940 to 1945. It published about 2,500, 000 copies and was about German’s with a modern blend of articles and pictures about stories from the battlefield. Also, it showed pictures of extreme weapons which other countries avoided showing.

The media repeated themselves all the time, including similar values and beliefs, such as the view that the German army was superior in many ways. Also, people could get information everywhere through different types of media. Once they turned on the radio, they could get information by ear, and once they got the newspapers or magazines, they could get information through sight. In addition, films give people information by both visual and auditory means.

Because of the media’s influence, the Nazi party received tremendous support from its citizens. On the other hand, minority groups closed their mouths because they feared isolation from society. It is no surprise that everyone thought that non-Aryan people were inferior to Aryan people. How could everyone agree that its anti-Zionism? The society formed this idea, and the majority of people were willing to speak out, while minority groups spoke less. They were afraid of isolation from the society, and this concept reinforced the Nazi party. The majority had confidence, so they spoke out much more. They published several news papers and magazines, and used other media such as radio and films in order to display their convictions. Therefore, it could be said that these forms of media were the most effective weapons of the Nazi party.