Synthesis of Tavris, Goodman, and Underwood :: Culture Sex Cultural Essays

Synthesis of Tavris, Goodman, and Underwood We’ve all been in a situation where we’ve been unknowingly manipulated by a group of people. It’s human nature to follow. Often times, for instance a gang shooting or the Holocaust in the 1940s, the outcome of blind following reminds that human nature can be atrocious. But do you think every German Nazi who contributed to the mass murders was an evil person? No, most were lead to believe that they were doing a good thing. Hitler was a powerful orator who convinced millions of people to support him. Why should anyone have thought something was wrong if there were millions of people who thought it was just fine? Hollywood is almost as evil and just as persuasive as Hitler was; and when an individual becomes a fraction of any group whether it be Hollywood’s audience or a collection of colleagues, the individual’s plight to remain at hand, is almost always defeated. In Tavris’ (2002) essay she explains why she thinks people act differently alone than in a group. She uses the examples of Kitty Genovese and Rodney King to illustrate that people are not willing to be courageous among other people. She claims that it is not the individual’s fault, but that is the ‘nature of groups’ that leave the individual barren of their usually present morals. We don’t want to wrongly intervene to spare our ego,, or we diffuse the responsibility on others who are around us assuming that another has already taken the initiative. She recommends that people inform themselves of the anomaly of what she calls â€Å"group-think† in hopes that education will empower them; even if they’re in a group. In Goodman’s (2002) Essay ‘Countering the Culture of Sex’ she discusses the common topic of the effects of sex in the media. She asserts that it isn’t enough to blame the media. W should transform the problem into the solution by having Hollywood realistically portray the aftermath of sexual encounters. By doing this, she hopes, will reduce the amount of teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Teenagers should be more aware of the consequences and less enamored with the romanticized image of sex; Goodman believes Hollywood is the answer. Using the example of Kitty Genovese, the woman who was witnessed being stabbed to death by a whole apartment building, Tavris (2002) says â€Å"Something happens to individuals when they collect in a group.