baratillo @ cubao : www.baratillo.net

Several years ago I had the opportunity to be part of the first set of people to be schooled at the University of the Philippines in the Visayas. It was an interesting experience - aside from being tin a different place. There was an interesting mix of people from all over: students from Diliman, students from Iloilo and several young scholars from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. People from all walks of life. And there was this one particular conversation that remained burned into my mind.

Student 1: Si Marcos ang pinakamagaling na Presidente ng Pilipinas!
Student 2: Hindi si Cory …
Student 1: Hindi naman siya na botong Presidente … si Marcos
Student 2: Pinatalsik naman siya ng mga tao
Student 1: Bakit buong Pilipinas ba ang Edsa?

Student 1: Marcos was the best President of the Philippines!
Student 2: No it was Cory …
Student 1: She was not elected … Marcos was
Student 2: He was kicked out of office by the People
Student 1: Why was Edsa the whole nation (Philippines)?

This was a few years after Edsa One. I had been a Coryista for sometime and was active in Edsa I. Along with a number of family members, friends and colleagues. During the Snap Election - it was unthinkable for us to have someone support Marcos. It was taken for granted only cronies and mindless people would support Marcos. We were wrong. It turns out that a number of people had different reasons for supporting who they supported. And this slowly began to dawn as we slowly stopped going to the Edsa 1 celebrations. It sort of faded each year as each promise of Edsa 1 was left unfulfilled and one watched as allies became enemies and enemies became allies and vice-versa.

But that is the past.

And what I would like to talk about here is my experience in Group Thinking. Something written about before by writers such as William H. Whyte and Irving Janis. Group Thinking:

It is something that may lead to excessive optimism, disregard of warnings and not reconsidering assumptions;

An overwhelming sense of self-righteousness;

Stereotypical or negative view of the “enemy”;

Pressuring dissenters; Self-censorship;

The assumption and illusion of unanimity;

Selp-appointed censors who filter out information that is contradictory or problematic to the group’s decision.

And such things lead to mistakes, disasters and even tragedy.

Group Thinking has been and still is existing. Everywhere where two or more people live and thrive in there is always the possibility that Group Thinking exist. When new people come into a given community or when there is a political struggle or when there are religious differences. It may come in the form ridicule or even making assumptions about person based on his or her stand on life or choice of life.

Group Thinking can blind us. As sure one’s belief in one’s intellect.

Remark all these roughnesses, pimples, warts, and everything as you see me, otherwise I will never pay a farthing for it. - Oliver Cromwell