Social science has tipped us off on some powerful possibilities. It turns out that a modest number of individuals can create powerful social movements by energetically spreading the word. Epidemiologists know that epidemics of diseases can spread through a few virulent carriers, and sociologists know that the same is true of ambitious and well connected activists.
For many years the death penalty has been the status quo – a given – the accepted norm. Most people assume that other people accept the death penalty. If more people who quietly oppose it would come out of the closet and tell their friends they oppose it, public perceptions will shift and the public will sense that public opinion is shifting against the death penalty. This will help move public opinion – and politicians and the media – toward abolition.
Coming out of the closet can be a powerful affirmation. Coming out against the death penalty will help make history!
More information is available from the Death Penalty page at the Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s website, www.olympiafor.org.
Download .pdf: Do Your Friends Know You’re an Abolitionist?
