Spiral of Silence and Today's Trying Times

I liked how the spiral of silence was able to give a title to a phenomenon I've witnessed over the years. It's like in class when the teacher asks a question and for some reason no one seems to want to answer. You can tell all the students know the answer, but there's something about the social acceptance aspect of it that keeps people silent. It's interesting how that atmosphere is bred, whether it's a direct result of the people around you or whether it somehow involves the subject being discussed. 

I think a very large issue being discussed now is the sexual harassment/assault of women, mainly being spotlighted by the entertainment industry. It's very interesting how although so many famous women and even men were sexually harassed by those in power, but chose to say nothing out of fear of consequence/acceptance. Once someone is brave enough to speak out it becomes much easier for others to speak out as well. Not only were the victims silent, but many people who knew what was happening were complacent as well. They don't want to talk about it because you don't want to lose your job/your role/your acceptance etc. Which is understandable, but still incredibly revealing of the human condition. We're often times too scared to put ourselves out there, because not putting yourself out there is just so easy. It's hard to throw away comfort for discomfort, even if that means you're doing the right thing.