Prejudice gets into the way of communication!

For this week’s post, I shall write about a video that I watched for one of my modules which showed how communication is hindered when the parties involved are blinded by prejudices.

Here is a little background information before I go on.

There is cult named Aum Shrinrikyo in Japan that many might have heard of. It is infamous for the sarin nerve gas attack that was released by some of the cult members in the subway in 1995. As sarin is a deadly nerve gas poison, many people were killed and thousands were injured.

The video I watched was a true record of the conflict between the police and some of the cult members after the 1995 incident. The whole thing started when the group of police officers stopped a group of Aum members in the middle of the street, demanding to know the names of those members as well as the purpose of their gathering. The police were probably afraid of another attack similar to what had happened in 1995. They were not letting these members go unless they revealed the necessary information.

However, the members were not cooperative as they felt they were doing no wrong. Things got worse when one of the members dodged the police and attempted to escape. His plan failed when one of the policemen held on to him. In a split second, both were toppled and had fallen to the ground.

The cult member hurt his head as he hit the ground. The police also injured his leg and started accusing the member for dragging him down.

That was where the video stopped and the professor continued what the video had left on. It seemed that this very same video was used as evidence to show that the police pushed the member down during the process of trying to stop the escape. Without the presence of this video, that member might have been sentenced to jail for assaulting the police.

Things would not get so ugly if the police had practised active listening and listened to the explanation brought forth by the members. In addition, their tones could have been better because they sounded as though they were interrogating criminals. Besides that, they should have adjusted their non verbal cues as they cornered the members which proved that they were hostile. All in all, the impression that the police made was antagonistic and that might have been one of the reasons why the Aum Members were not cooperating. It is understandable that they practised caution because it is their job to keep society safe and protect the public. However, they should have handled this matter more professionally instead of letting personal prejudices affect the way they behave.

The Aum members were also partly responsible for this misunderstanding. They might be different from the culprit responsible for the 1995 incident but no one could tell unless they prove or convince others. Truly, proving that would be difficult initially as many people have the stereotype that all cult members were as evil as the culprit. Due to this reason, they should have been patient and answered the questions from the police to ease their insecurity. When that member attempted to run away, his action only convinced the police that their suspicious were right.

In conclusion, this is a typical example of how a misunderstanding is formed because of the prejudices that prevent effective communication. If both parties can show more understanding for each other then such an incident may not happen.