Samantha Gutierrez Sociology of Murder April 10, 2015 Cult Killings A cult by definition is a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object. Today many people correlate the word cult with extremist group who is held together by a charismatic leader with one goal in mind. In my opinion those types of cults can be viewed as dangerous cults. Theses dangerous cults are infamous for using methods such as mind control and deception to control their members. Cults are able to be successful by targeting vulnerable, lonely people who need someone to help them feel like they belong.
The loss of life in Guyana could have been the result of mass murder or mass suicide. The massacre at Jonestown has caused confusion in regards to how the inhabits died. Regardless over 1000 people perished due to Jim Jones’ increasingly radical beliefs. Early in his life, Jones joined the Pentecostal ministry, and he studied
They were not inventing anything new but reclaiming something ancient. This is why governments tend to fall apart, because people often want to come together freely and be themselves, rather then fit a mold that is presented for them. Hobbes foretold that it was a human condition that war fought by each against each, making it hard for anything good to come out of it, or learn
Manipulation of media is of course one of the main factors. Nowadays, we know all too well how easily it is for media corporations to support one political agenda or another by twisting facts and feeding false information. Consumerism, supported and viralized by media, also carries a message which tends to separate those who consume a certain kind of product from those who do not, stating that the former are happier than the latter. This exercises certain social pressure among consumerist individuals who may somehow see their social status affected and thus feel left out. As a result, the key for the survival of individuality lies in how conformist the people are ready and willing to become.
This event definitely changed America making it the second-largest, non-natural disaster-related killing of American civilians during peacetime. It is hard to comprehend why hundreds of people would commit suicide because one man said so, but the many who participated were dedicated to a cult called the “Peoples Temple” that was started by Jones. His “church” promised equality, especially racial integration, which attracted minorities during the sixties and seventies. Even though President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law on July 2, 1964, many minorities did not feel the change. Jones was the person who took it into his own hands to start a change,
What Are the Normative Social Influences of Charles Manson? by Sally Taylor, Demand Media Decades after the vicious Hollywood Tate and LaBianca murders by Charles Manson's terror cult, known as "The Family," Manson remains an enigmatic subject of scientific study. He clearly understood normative social influences, the influences that make people conform in order to be liked and accepted even when it is dangerous to do so. His skilled use of these principles put him near the top of the list of history's more destructive cult leaders. Charisma The anti-establishment counterculture of the 1960s provided a strong base for Manson to achieve a charismatic influence on his followers.
The belief that Physical beauty is more important than intelligence is a very common habit throughout the world, especially in schools and as a result, people may often conform to accept values of appearances rather than focusing on the values of a persons gifts and talents. Conformity can be involuntary, so someone could not even know that they were following others. Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth (Kennedy). What this is saying is if a person conforms to others then they’re giving up their freedom to whom they’re conforming. If they do this, they cannot grow, or have their own thoughts or opinions or act on them.
This question does not suggest that your audience is stupid or uneducated. As we saw in Chapter 1, there is a great deal of confusion today about such matters as free will, truth, knowledge, opinion, and morality. Many intelligent and educated people have fallen victim to ideas and attitudes that cripple their creative and critical faculties. In many cases, your audience will appreciate your insights only if you first help them get beyond their misconceptions. Is Your Audience’s Perspective Likely to Be Narrow?
I think that in front of people espacially those who doesn’t know me I will be just judged about things I say because obviously they don’t know my personality and what I am really thinking about so I usually try to speak in a way that allows to people to have a good impression about my character espacially in first contacts and meetings. 6-As a group they tend to be highly individualistic; moderate in context; low in power ,rank , and status; and high in masculinity. For me working alone is much better than in groups .I feel more confortable I can be more creative and innovative , no body will judge my choice or ask me why I made a such decision. I don’t prefer share my ideas with others .I think that is better that everybody is responsible about his thoughts.Therefore while I get obliged to work in groups my effort will decrease and it doesn’t matter for me to just accept others ideas . 7-As a group African Americans are active, expressive , colorful, emotional, often humorous, more nonverbal, distinctive,stylized, open, demonstrative,and possses a positive outlook on life.
In today’s society, people are told exactly what to do from how they should dress to what they should drive. It is nearly impossible for one to avoid the amount of media and propaganda in their daily lives. People have become addicts to this media driven world and have turned into someone that can no longer think for themselves. As victims of the media, we as the society should have the rights to judge whether the commercials and advertisements are manipulative or are they actually produced for our benefits. Adolescents, teenagers, and children are the age groups that are most prone to being manipulated by movies, propaganda, and advertisements.