Characteristics Of Groupthink

Liberals: Demonic or Liberating

"Look left and right, and be careful." Your mother probably told these words to you when you were learning to cross the street. His exhortation same could apply to politics today.

In a summer best-sellers, demonic: How the Liberal mafia threatens America (ISBN 978-0-307-35348-1, $ 28.99), the author says Ann Coulter Flyleaf as the book says, that "the Liberals have all the psychological characteristics of a crowd - practice groupthink, slavishly following intellectual fashions, and periodically burst into violence."

Often justly accused of writing inflammatory - it is not only despised by liberals but by many experts and politicians and traditional African Republic, who fear being tainted by what they see as the extremism - Coulter follows by model established in his other books, the mixture rhetoric ("The Liberals talk with the crazy stupid people in the former Soviet Union, to price each other for their heroic fantasy ...»), statistics and the story somewhat generalized.Whether on the left or right, most political commentators these days use the same formula, mixing reality and speculation to support their own assumptions.

Evidence of his own prejudices Coulter - "Liberals bad, good conservatives" - begins with the title, demonic, and continues throughout the book. For this reason, the Liberals will not read the book, and the Conservatives will come and accepting in advance with key points, it consumes intellectual comfort food.

Although praised by some conservative commentators as the best book of Ms. Coulter, evil will not win any awards for his literary qualities.Coulter is a better writer than a writer of books, a sprinter rather than a long distance runner, and this quality shows in the book. Although she does write in a lively, she repeats her arguments and examples, and often paints his case with too broad a brush. His training as a lawyer shows here, as he does in his other writings, in that it is a case for his client - in this case, the Conservatives - while marshalling the facts selected against his Liberal opponents.

Yet evil does bring up two points that liberal political and cultural may think with a little gain.The first has to do with political rhetoric and violence in America. Coulter makes a convincing case that most political violence over the past 40 years has come from the left instead of right of the political spectrum.

The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary ...

Today I will put forward the argument that Globalink (international tobacco control mailing list) would be better called GlobalGroupthink. It is a perfect example of the phenomenon of single thought that has gripped the tobacco control movement, which I believe threatens the credibility of scientific integrity and movement.

When I joined Globalink, I did it because I thought it would be a valuable means for me and other tobacco control researchers and advocates to share the results of critical research, discuss scientific issues and political , and get thoughtful comments on the ideas to advance the fight against tobacco on the ground.

What I discovered is that Globalink is precisely the opposite functions. This is a mechanism to prevent critical discussion of research questions, science and policy in tobacco control.It is used to stifle thoughtful discussion of ideas, dissent suppressed, and plays as a forum for malicious attacks against individual scientists, lawyers, or citizens who dare to go against the tide of opinion in the tobacco control movement.

I found this in an interesting way. We had a discussion about employer policies regarding Globalink to refuse to hire smokers. While many supporters in favor of these policies, a few oppose them. It was suggested that we take an informal vote to get an idea of ​​how divided opinion on the issue.I thought it was just an idea and would have helped us to get an idea of ​​where the positions of tobacco control advocates' divided on the issue.

However, a number of supporters have argued vehemently against the taking of a vote, arguing that if information were made public show that a significant number of fight against smoking advocates opposed to these policies, it would give ammunition to "our opponents." This view carried the day and the vote was canceled.

This movement has not only prevented a vote and assured that we would never know the extent of the ban on smoking at work the opposition, but also sent a message to everyone on the list of release that the support of these prohibitions is the "official" dogma of the movement and that anyone who dares disagree with such policies is considered "the opposition". Thus, this movement has made a clear statement that disagreed with the idea of ​​refusing to hire smokers was essentially heresy and that doing so would cast the dissident movement and to be considered and treated as of the opposition.

Beyond groupthink, political group dynamics and foreign policy-making

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The psychology of closed mindedness

Decision making, an organizational behavior approach

Value management in design and construction, the economic management of projects