The Elephant in the Room: Silence and Denial in Everyday LifeOxford University Press, 1 apr. 2006 - 176 pagini The fable of the Emperor's New Clothes is a classic example of a conspiracy of silence, a situation where everyone refuses to acknowledge an obvious truth. But the denial of social realities--whether incest, alcoholism, corruption, or even genocide-is no fairy tale. In The Elephant in the Room, Eviatar Zerubavel sheds new light on the social and political underpinnings of silence and denial-the keeping of "open secrets." The author shows that conspiracies of silence exist at every level of society, ranging from small groups to large corporations, from personal friendships to politics. Zerubavel shows how such conspiracies evolve, illuminating the social pressures that cause people to deny what is right before their eyes. We see how each conspirator's denial is symbiotically complemented by the others', and we learn that silence is usually more intense when there are more people conspiring-and especially when there are significant power differences among them. He concludes by showing that the longer we ignore "elephants," the larger they loom in our minds, as each avoidance triggers an even greater spiral of denial. Drawing on examples from newspapers and comedy shows to novels, children's stories, and film, the book travels back and forth across different levels of social life, and from everyday moments to large-scale historical events. At its core, The Elephant in the Room helps us understand why we ignore truths that are known to all of us. |
Cuprins
The Rules of Denial | 17 |
The Politics of Denial | 33 |
The Social Structure of Denial | 47 |
Breaking the Silence | 61 |
Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid | 73 |
The Trouble with Elephants | 79 |
Notes | 89 |
Bibliography | 127 |
Author Index | 151 |
156 | |
Alte ediții - Afișează-le pe toate
The Elephant in the Room: Silence and Denial in Everyday Life Eviatar Zerubavel Previzualizare limitată - 2006 |
The Elephant in the Room: Silence and Denial in Everyday Life Eviatar Zerubavel Previzualizare limitată - 2006 |
The Elephant in the Room: Silence and Denial in Everyday Life Eviatar Zerubavel Previzualizare limitată - 2006 |
Termeni și expresii frecvente
abuse acknowledge actually Adam Jaworski American Sociological Association attention avoid awareness Bar-On Basic Books Behavior breaking Chicago Press Clinton’s Cognitive Cohen considered conspiracies of silence Culture D. J. Enright DeGloma discourse dynamics elephant embarrassing Emperor’s New Clothes Erving Goffman Euphemism Eviatar Zerubavel example fact Family Free Press Garden City Georg Simmel Hans Christian Andersen Harper Harvard University Press Holocaust Holocaust Survivors Homosexuality ignore Incest Interaction involves John Journal Kathryn Harrison lence Lewinsky Lifton Martin Milliken Mindscapes Moral Muted Conscience Nazi Needless to say Nineteen Eighty-Four norms notice Oedipus one’s open secrets person political presupposes pretend Prince of Tides Princeton problems proverbial publicly Rape Robert Routledge Ryan Sally Hemings secrecy sexual silence breakers Silence of Sodom silence surrounding Silencing and Denial Social Mindscapes Speech Stories Taboo tact talk tell things Thomas tion token Trauma Undiscussable University of Chicago versity W. W. Norton Wajnryb Whistleblowers York
Pasaje populare
Pagina xii - We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.