The Conversation U.S.Jun 29, 2025

More Americans are biting their tongues, not because they don’t care, but because they’re afraid to speak.

From DEI to the war in Gaza, people are more afraid to speak their minds now than during the Red Scare, according to a political scientist who has been conducting surveys.

This “spiral of silence” is real. It’s stifling democratic debate and amplifying the loudest, most aggressive voices.

https://theconversation.com/self-censorship-and-the-spiral-of-silence-why-americans-are-less-likely-to-publicly-voice-their-opinions-on-political-issues-251979

Self-censorship and the ‘spiral of silence’: Why Americans are less likely to publicly voice their opinions on political issues

Nearly half of Americans say they feel less free to speak their minds.

The Conversation
Show threadAlexJun 29, 2025
@TheConversationUS I remember in quite a few threads on russian oppression and 20-odd year tzar-rule brainwashing and coercing citizens to shutup and obey - US residents were chewing me out for pointing out how personally dangerous it actually was to show any kind of overt resistance to both individuals and their families.. That they had to resist and speak out and fight and damn the consequences.... Now that they felt for a few months what russians felt for decades I do feel some schadenfreude.
Show threadAlex
@TheConversationUS on a less bitter note tho - US citizens did rise up gloriously, resistance is solid and while legal battle is in shambles, citizens do stellar job protesting, disrupting and pushing back and I wish them all the best and hope they reclaim their democracy as quickly as they possibly can <3
Jun 29, 2025 at 5:38pmMastodon for Android