Doing right when in a group
Re “Right, Wrong? In a Group, It’s Harder to Tell” (July 17): I read to the last word the piece on how group dynamics affects people’s ability -- or decision -- to act independently in situations where their morality should intervene.
We’ve all been victims of this on smaller scales; the situation in the high school cafeteria where a “friend” goes along with the group making fun of someone, even as the friends’ eyes meet and they look away. The business meeting where the supporters side with the boss who disses your idea even after they’d told you, one-on-one, what a great idea you had.
I wonder what separates the folks who do have the moral courage to stand their ground? How can we as individuals learn not to give up our standards in those situations?
LAURA MARSHALL
Castro Valley
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The specter of group complicity when confronted with an act of monstrous evil -- whether the group be five or six soldiers or half the population of a civilized nation -- will always be waiting in the wings. This does not mean it should inevitably cast its shadow.
Groups -- be they families, football teams or nations -- that are truly healthy in mind, spirit and body are much less likely to allow a collective lapse into conformity with evil. In such groups, humanitarian values are not cast aside in favor of mutated notions of God and country or of fighting terrorism. Or in favor of profit, which -- bottom line -- is the thing onto which the other sacred causes have been grafted by this country’s wonderful elected leaders.
GERARDO RAMOS
Bishop
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I strongly disagree with the overall conclusion in the article. In fact, every day, the majority of people around the world get it right.
Although it is often difficult to go against the crowd, my experience is that the crowd usually gets it right. I worked in inner-city Los Angeles for nearly 20 years and, in spite of the negative publicity, the vast majority of kids and teachers did the right thing every day.
We need strong leaders to step up and support those who want to do it right.
JIM DAVIS
South Pasadena
