Who has more influence in a Society, an individual or the general public? For example, does one artist have more power than an entire town of people? How about a politician, a factory worker, or an electrician?
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17 comments:
Both the individual and the general have different amounts of influence in a society at different times, and it depends where the community is located. An example here is how we elect our government officials. For a day, maybe longer, on Election day, the general public has more influence: it is they who decide who will be elected leader. On another hand, in a dictorship-type government, the dictator has the most influence in society. Whatever he does or says must be liked by the general public, and whatever he puts forth as law will be followed.
I do believe that individuals have more influence in society than the general public. Generally, the public select certain individuals to make the decisions on society. However, some nations do not allow public voting of officials. Never the less, individuals have a much greater influence to how society should be. For example, Thomas Edison and his many patents had a major influence on our technology today. Also, governments with dictators are the ones that create the laws. The public have to follow whatever the leader wishes.
It is usually the group that has more influence then the individual. Only in some cases dose the individual overpower the group. The example of that is the government. The President has more of an influence on the nation then let’s says Congress. After all the work that is done in Congress, the President can still VETO it. Even though it can be override in Congress, it still takes more votes to override the veto then it does to just pass the bill, thus showing the power of the White House. Unfortunately, the same doesn't go for everyone, like an artist doesn't have the same power to influence people, all they can do is make people think, but even that has some limitations. If the art work that the artist made is not interrupted in the way the artist had in mind, then he/she had no influence to begin with. A group in general has a lot of power for when groups form, it shows a lot of people want something to change, or get something done. An example of that is in the work force, if a Union goes on strike, they can stop the company from making money, thus hurting income, thus hurting the boss. Also if the group affects other groups of people then they have a lot more influence. If the Postal Service went on strike, then the mail in the country would come to a halt, and information/supplies would slow down a lot.
I think it's a combination of both. I was actually leaning towards saying general, because when I think about things affecting society it brings to mind, movies and music genres, most of which revolves around Hollywood, which is a group or a general influence rather than an individual influence. Then I started to think about fashion and celebrities and celebrity donations, etc. and I changed my mind. Individuals can have a large influence on society, but I find that those individuals who have the most influence in society are usually famous. It's hard for me to see that a regular, average white collar worker can influence society greatly, or for that matter, the average high school student. Some people might want to emulate a certain author for a paper, or singer for a karaoke night, but not many people want to emulate that kid that sits infront of them in pre-calc.
Although there is always power in numbers, an individual can have more influence. One individual can start an idea and then the group can hold on to it. If one person contributes their input strong enough, then it can be very effective. One the general public agrees with something thats when it can become really popular. It's like celebrities starting trends. An individual needs to start it, then the public become powerful.
I think it's a little bit of both. Religion is a good example of an individual; a religion may worship one or more people or things because of what they did and that can influence how a person may act. Than the people that are influenced by that person or thing can influence another person to change. It's kind of a chain effect.
I think that the group has more influence than an individual does. In society, a group has the power to change things. Together they can ban together to oppose what they disagree with. Many revolutions have been started by groups of people that see the need for change. If just one person sees the need for change, it isn't likely anything will come of it. Power is not in the hands of an individual. Anybody that tries to get something done knows that they have to have people behind them on their side. Petitions are a great example of how a group has power. Individuals are not completely powerless, but groups have the ability to have a much bigger influence.
I think that the group has more influence than an individual does. In society, a group has the power to change things. Together they can ban together to oppose what they disagree with. Many revolutions have been started by groups of people that see the need for change. If just one person sees the need for change, it isn't likely anything will come of it. Power is not in the hands of an individual. Anybody that tries to get something done knows that they have to have people behind them on their side. Petitions are a great example of how a group has power. Individuals are not completely powerless, but groups have the ability to have a much bigger influence.
I think overall the general public has more of an influence than an individual. However this does not mean that indivudials do not have an influence and are not heard. I think with enough drive someone can make their voice heard and change society. Alot of it depends on the individual and wether they are willing to do what it takes to make an impact on society.
I think overall the general public has more of an influence than an individual. However this does not mean that indivudials do not have an influence and are not heard. I think with enough drive someone can make their voice heard and change society. Alot of it depends on the individual and wether they are willing to do what it takes to make an impact on society.
I agree that groups have more effect on society. But I also believe that the groups came from an individual. It kind of makes you think that the individual is more influential because it attract enough people to make a group. The group is more powerful because once you have a group people are like " O may be I should just follow along and do what other people are doing!" Regardless they both effect society but in different regards.
In the society we're in today, a lot of emphasis is put on the individual. We're all brought up on the notion that every person is different and can make a change. In my opinion, the individual holds the power. An individual comes up with an idea and influences the group, which then goes along with it. A president can be an example. The individual decides that they have enough influence to run the country, and then they just have to convince the general public. Look at any celebrity and you can also see it. To use the same petition example that was used before, there is always someone spear-heading the organization. Originally, someone had the idea to start that petition and decided to put it into action. People signing the petition are pretty much throwing their support behind the individual.
I believe that a group of people have a bigger influence on society than one certain individual. For example, when with a group of people you have people to back you up and make your words more meaningful. On the other side it is much harder for a single person to get a statement across when you dont have people to support you
There have been artists like Andy Warhol who have had a major influence on the way art is defined and viewed, but he would have been nothing without the reaction of others. The public could just have easily looked at his work and say “hmm…soup cans…that’s nice” and not cared. I think an individual can be more powerful than a group if they know how to effectively manipulate the public, and play on their desires and fears. An example of this is the Twilight Zone episode “the Monsters are Due on Maple Street” where a pair of aliens fiddle around with a small town’s electricity which drives the townspeople to begin wildly accusing others, and even killing their own neighbor out of fear and suspicion.
The general public definitely has a much greater influence then the individual. By a group of people all agreeing on one idea, they create a much better chance of being succesful than just one person. Even though that one person may have a strong point, having a group of people enhances your chances of being heard much more.
I think both equally influence society. And an individual like a politician actually can't influence society without the general public. I mean, if the public didn't support him how could he make any major changes?
I do believe that individuals have more influence in society than the general public. Generally, the public select certain individuals to make the decisions on society. For example Obama has influenced America greatly, becoming the first black president and he also influenced America that it is time for change and that we need to act now.
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