Maddow: Islamic Center Opponents Could Be Stoking Anti-Muslim Attacks

reason can sway one person at a time. emotion can sway crowds; look at the guy who was singled out and confronted during an anti-'mosque' rally in NY recently.



that's why we have security at group events. while there may be real grievances, manipulation of a group's emotions can stimulate direct action. then a 'perceived' although false threat can cause harmful consequences by the crowd's actions.



lone wolves may have an intense emotional response, to the extent that they are unbalanced, or the stimulus confirms the worldview of a group (anti New World Order, anti gun control, etc, white nationalist, black power, neo-Nazi, etc)



the media ALWAYS influences, good or bad. you cannot perceive something without changing it and being changed by it. the person giving the news is still an individual, with unique likes and dislikes and prejudices. part of that will come out.



it's recognized in anthropology whenever a researcher lives among a group. his/her perceptions and precondition flavors the supposedly objective study. 100% objectivity cannot be reached; however, if the researcher recognizes subjectivity, personal biases and judgments can be minimized.



primal emotions are easier to identify with. take the Tea Party. . .there are videos where members are asked exactly what they want. they can't explain anything coherently. they want their 'freedoms' back, but can't say what they are. they can't explain how Obama's policies hurt them.



but the outsider. . .a stranger? THAT's easy to latch onto. we remain very primal. . .
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