Mudia
Ogbevire
Professor
Young
English
W 1101
6
February 2017
In the novel Friendswood, the groupthink concept is evident throughout the
novel. One of the main characters, Lee Knowles rebels against the groupthink
concept in order to help the community. The Friendswood community has been
ignoring conspicuous harmful effects of a chemical dumping in an area called
Banes Field. Residents of the community are conforming to the masses by not
doing anything to investigate the harmful chemicals. When a situation or idea presents
danger, harm, or if it is inhumane, then it is necessary to dissent.
To begin with, the Friendswood
chemical situation could be examined more honestly if residents of the
community agreed to dissent and figure out what the real effects of the
chemicals. Citizens of the community mostly likely fear disagreeing with what
they were told because of the bad treatment they would receive. Lee Knowles is
shunned and judged throughout the community because she is choosing to dissent
from popular beliefs of the town. It is appropriate for Lee to dispute or
dissent with her town leaders because the situation is dangerous for
individuals living in the community. People in the community could end up
suffering from cancer, blood diseases and other diseases because of the
chemical spill.
In addition to the Friendswood
chemical dumping, a situation where ideas and actions are inhumane is also when
dissenting is necessary. For example, after Donald Trump won the presidency
many people disliked his beliefs strongly. Instead of following the norm by
accepting him as president, many people protested and chose to dissent. Donald
Trump’s ideologies could be considered inhumane to some people. Trump figures
that banning immigrants from the country is a decent idea, while other people
find this to be inhumane. Those who find ideologies inhumane are just in
dissenting and protesting.
In summation, inhumane, harmful or
dangerous ideas or actions are areas that dissenting would be necessary. In
Friendswood, many people refuse to detach themselves from group thinking to
dispute the chemical dumping issue. Whereas, after the Presidential Election
many people dissented due to the inhumanity they felt that some people were
being faced with.
