Suppression of dissent occurs when an individual or group which is more
powerful than another tries to directly or indirectly
censor,
persecute or otherwise
oppress the other party, rather than engage with and constructively respond to or accommodate the other party's arguments or viewpoint. When
dissent is perceived as a threat, action may be taken to prevent continuing dissent or penalise
dissidents.
Government or
industry[Brian Martin, ": what it is and what to do about it ". Science, Technology & Society, University of Wollongong.] may often act in this way.
Types of suppression
Types of suppression include:
Direct action tries to silence the dissenter via factors or influences in a forthright manner, often coercive.
Indirect action tries to silence the dissenter via intervening factors or influences, but not in a forthright manner.
Self-censorship occurs when individuals are concerned about risking their employment status, standing in an academic course and/or ability to live without threat. It is a
social action. Some dissenters fear direct actions taken against them. Self-censorship makes direct and indirect suppression unnecessary.
Areas of suppression
Society and speech
Suppression of dissent is undesirable in society for a variety of fundamental reasons.
Freedom of speech is a
cardinal rule for a
free society. Dissent is absolutely essential to allow all points of view to be given and considered.
Censorship plays a central role in the control of
speech and other forms of human
expression, often by government intervention (through
criminalization or
other regulation). It is most commonly applied to acts which occur in
public circumstances, and most formally involves suppression of ideas by criminalizing or regulating expression. This differs from self-censorship, though. Self-censorship is when an individual censors and/or
classifies his/her own speech to avoid offending others, and without authority requiring them to do so. But, especially in some
authoritarian countries, the fear of
secret police organizations and possible government backlash against individuals may result in an indirect suppression of dissent via self-censorship. Sanitization (removal) and whitewashing (from
whitewash) are almost interchangeable terms with censorship that refer to a particular form of censorship via omission, which seeks to "clean up" the portrayal of particular issues and facts which are already known, but which may
conflict with the official point of view. In democratic countries, self-censorship is also a possible phenomenon, particularly in times of crisis.
In greater society the typical example of suppression of dissent is when a company fires a
whistleblower.
Cultural suppression can exhibit facets of dissenting suppression, especially when used as part of
social control and the promotion of another more powerful culture over a minority's culture. The devious use of governmental power, political campaign strategy, and resources aimed at suppressing (i.e. reducing) the total vote of opposition candidacies in
voter suppression is a typical governmental occurrence of suppression of dissent. Sometimes laws are enacted to suppress dissent, South Africa enacted the
Suppression of Communism Act to ban
organizations that supported
communism (and other activities).
Academia
In
academia, the
peer review process is occasionally cited as suppressing dissent against "
mainstream'" theories (part of an overall system of
suppression of intellectual dissent).
Robert Anton Wilson, in "The New Inquisition" (New Falcon Publications, 1991), called this an
inquisition of the editors and reviewers of scientific journals, of leading authorities and self-appointed "skeptics", and of corporations and governments that have a vested interest. Some
sociologists of science argue that peer review makes the ability to publish susceptible to control by
elites and to personal jealousy. Reviewers tend to be especially critical of conclusions that contradict their own
views, and lenient towards those that accord with them. At the same time, elite scientists are more likely than less established ones to be sought out as referees, particularly by high-prestige journals or
publishers. As a result, it has been argued, ideas that harmonize with the elites are more likely to see print and to appear in premier journals than are iconoclastic or revolutionary ones, which accords with
Thomas Kuhn's well-known observations regarding scientific revolutions.
To express the notion of intellectual dissent suppression, a situation has these features:
- a power structure, with some vested interests groups with power and privilege.
- views or techniques, methodologies, procedures, and processes in which dissent from is possible.
- an alternative source of power (e.g., an alternative power structure)
Generally, science is presented as a "noble search" for truth, in which advancement depends on inquiring about established ideas and concepts.
[Brian Martin, "; Too often, unconventional or unpopular scientific views are simply suppressed". Newsweek, 26 April 1993, pp. 49-50] Reportedly, scientists do not see an occasional error as a flaw in science -- they maintain that science is a self-correcting system, and that with substantial evidence, any true investigation into encountered anomalies will result of a change in basic assumptions within the ruling theory of science. But for many dissenters, this is declared as a painful myth.
From various experiences, disagreement with the dominant view comes with danger or risk (personally and professionally). Some researchers and scientists refrain from looking over carefully theories which demonstrates science's undesirable or negative qualities. Often, a portion of representatives within the prevailing scientific view attack the critic's ideas that go against the dominant ruling theory. Representatives may also attack the critic personally by various methods, including (but not limited to):
- deleting parts of writing,
- obstructing publications,
- forced withdrawal of research grants,
- denying work in a particular field,
Academic freedom is the freedom of teachers, students, and academic institutions to pursue knowledge wherever it may lead, without undue or unreasonable interference.
Conspiracy theories
Free energy suppression is a
conspiracy theory claiming that certain
special interest groups are suppressing alternative views in science. Groups most often implicated in such activity are the
oil industry, petroleum
national governments, entrenched tenured faculty, the
pharmaceutical industry, and additionally,
automakers. The most common perceived motive is preservation of the economic
status quo and sustained increase of fuel (and drug) prices (as well as preservation of the demand for fuel/drugs.)
Responses
Responses to various acts of
suppression against
dissent include:
- Do not act against the suppression.
- Use unofficially recognized or controlled methods.
- Use officially recognized or controlled channels.
Doing nothing against the acts of suppression often allows the state of being suppressed (and associated existing errors and fallacies) to continue. Furthermore, doing nothing does not give rise to support for the dissident views. If
critics decide to "
toe the mark" and "keep out of sight", the critic may be re-accepted by the opponent. This passive agreement without protest means that other dissents are likely to encounter the same difficulties.
Use of unofficially and officially recognized or controlled channels has been used as a means of alleviating the state of suppression (and associated existing errors and fallacies), such as
protesting,
demonstrating,
striking,
civil disobedience, or other similar actions to attempt to directly enact desired changes themselves. Using formal channels against decisions, using internal procedures, bringing
appeals to the appropriate
committee or
commission, and launching
legal actions has also been used to enact desired changes. Proposing legislation, policies, and regulations has been used to help alleviate the situation. If such exist, dissenters have used these to alleviate the situation, also.
See also
