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Essay / Comparing Dissent and Disagreement: Meaning, Consequences and Effects
It is common to read a word and predict its superficial meaning from its context. Instead of analyzing their implied meaning, humans tend to view words as general, as if they and synonyms are the same. This occurs with the terms disagreement and dissent. At first glance, they may look like they had identical meetings, but is that the case? Daniel J. Boorstin argues that there is a distinction between these terms in The Decline of Radicalism (1969), and it undoubtedly makes sense to differentiate these words not by their appearance but by their meaning. Boorstin says these terms differ because of their roots, their effects on humans, and their consequences on societies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The meaning of a word is determined by its history. According to Boorstin, “disagreements” and “dissent” differ because the latter comes from the Latin dis and sentire, which literally means feeling separate from others. In contrast, disagreement means lack of consensus or having different or contradictory opinions on a subject. Because, historically, these words differ in their meaning. From another perspective, words produce different effects among small groups. “Those who disagree argue, but those who decide argue,” says the author, distinguishing the effects of words. For this reason, people who disagree are more likely to discuss to reach consensus and find a better solution. However, people who disagree are more likely to find themselves physically, emotionally, or spatially broken. For example, when a small group of friends or family members debate a controversial topic, such as LGBT rights, people express their opinion. If some people disagree with others' opinions, they will address what they think could be improved from their opinion. However, if people disagree, they will be completely intolerant of each other's opinions and will likely end up fighting. Therefore, the terms have different meanings because they exert different pressures and cause different results. Likewise, terms have different effects on formal societies. Boorstin says: “A liberal society thrives on disagreement but is killed by dissension. Disagreement is the lifeblood of democracy, dissent is its cancer.” Just as blood is pumped and detoxified through the vessels, arguments are debated and perfected to perfection by members of a society. Just as cancer destroys healthy cells into tiny malignant cells, dissension divides and influences in such a way that the result is a polarized society with greedy intentions to get others to join in fighting against the other. This happens all over the world in governments: usually in first world countries people disagree on laws but adapt them until they are right, while in first world countries In the third world, citizens who are against the laws disagree and the nation becomes polarized. Due to the different and complex consequences these terms have on a society, the words have different meanings. Although some may think that because one term can lead to another that they mean the same thing, they are nevertheless on different levels and exert different forces. Although some may. (1916)., 98(2), 224.