Socionomics Institute




Takin’ It To The Streets

GAINESVILLE, Ga. / May 5, 2010 – The ink was barely dry on Arizona’s new immigration laws when thousands of Americans nationwide took to the streets in protest of the act. Will their voices fall on deaf ears? The president says the law is unconstitutional, but legislators and would-be governors in several other states are eyeing similar measures. Researchers at the Georgia-based Socionomics Institute say laws like Arizona’s are just a taste of things to come – and eventually we’ll all stop protesting and knuckle under. In a groundbreaking study on authoritarianism, researcher Alan Hall shows that social mood eventually leads people to see government’s attempts to assert power over individuals as normal. In addition to examining the factors that brought dictators such as Mao Zedong, Pol Pot and Adolf Hitler to power, Hall makes a chilling forecast. The coming years, he says, will see “the appearance of severe authoritarian regimes worldwide.” Is the U.S. on that list?

* * * * *

About The Socionomics Institute
The Socionomics Institute, based in Gainesville, Ga., studies social mood and its role in driving cultural trends. The Institute’s analysis is published in the monthly research review, The Socionomist. Learn more at www.socionomics.net.

Note to Media: For copies of studies or to arrange an interview with a researcher from the Socionomics Institute, contact Alexandra Lienhard at (770) 536-0309, alexandral@socionomics.net.

 

* * * * *

Interested in learning more about the science of socionomics and cultural trends?
The Socionomics Institute has tons of free resources available: newly released articles, reports, videos and more. Click here to sign up for your free resources now.