What Roles Do Interest Groups Play Essay PDF

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Michael Dooley Professor Rampersaud POS 2041 TR 4:00 20347 February 27, 2018

The Interest Groups of America Throughout our lives, we have seen many people partake in certain things which we may or may not have strong opinions of. We have seen their names on the news, seen them at rallies, maybe have seen them at gun shows. The organizations that I am referring to are known as interest groups. You may be asking, what is an Interest Group? An interest group is a group of people drawn or acting together in support of a common interest. They are usually put together when something a group of people believe in is at stake or is being threatened upon. Two in particular that I decided to report on, were the National Rifle Association, and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. These are two interest groups that revolve around the same topic but fall on opposite sides of the political spectrum. These two groups in particular have been butting heads for a long time now, both pushing each other’s agendas and fighting over who is correct. Interest groups are no new feature to our country. Interest groups share roots with the United States, as well as Germany. We can observe that during the turn of the preindustrial phase, non-profit organizations started making a name for themselves. They would set out to represent the poor who were a majority of said non-profit organizations. Interest groups have helped shape the development of our country ever since the 1800’s. We have been able to use interest groups to curve the framework of our country, and by putting it on a path in our own

Michael Dooley Professor Rampersaud POS 2041 TR 4:00 20347 February 27, 2018 favor, as well as providing tactics and points of access to get the peoples’ word across to the higher-ups in the government. When people have the ability to sway the way the country is run so that it favors the majority, you can introduce new and improved ideas to help bring prosperity to our country. Interest groups have the power to let individuals gain confidence with themselves and with what they believe in, and to let them know that they are not alone in their fight to make their voice be heard. However, their voice is a little too loud. Interest groups can often lead to one side forcing their views unto an opposing side, which is something we especially see today. Although these people try to seek out others whom share the same opinions, it happens all too often that they will encounter another interest group that disagrees with what they have to say, leading to a degeneration of what peacefulness once existed within the interest group. Two interest groups immediately come to my mind when I think of unrest between two eternally-disagreeing sides; The National Rifle Association and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. Ever since the year 2015, the CSGV have attempted to push their agenda by labeling NRA members as a villainous group of people. While they did indeed give inputs of their views in anti-gun editorials for the masses to read as well as posting about their views all over the internet, they also went out of their way to use scare tactics towards NRA members and anybody who they knew that exercised their conceal carry permits. The CSGV did not just use any

Michael Dooley Professor Rampersaud POS 2041 TR 4:00 20347 February 27, 2018 ordinary scare tactic, but they figured it would be best to get their message out there by SWATting those who they opposed. Whether it was to provoke confrontation between the lawabiding citizen and law enforcement, it is an unjust and very delinquent form of behavior. All of this goes back to how interest groups can sometimes be a hindrance to democracy. When freedom of speech and peaceful assembly turn to this type extremist rhetoric, the whole premise of an interest group begins to degrade. It doesn’t need to be this way, whether we agree, or agree to disagree. I have spoken to many people who disagree with my pro-gun opinions, and all verbal encounters remained verbal; Not once has there been an exchange in fists with those who disagree with me, let alone foul language. As a long-time NRA member, I can assure you that there has been a great deal of comradery between me and other members. Ever since I saw the sign-up stand at a Tampa gun show with the two pretty ladies overlooking the clipboard, I was hooked. When I originally signed up, I wasn’t old enough for most of the benefits that are obtainable through the NRA. Now that I am older than 18, I can reap the benefits of multiple liability protections, discounts, and gun-owner protection plan insurance. The membership itself is a great conversation starter and is something that many people I know come to respect of me. This is what I believe Interest groups should be all about. Comradery with one another and sharing the same beliefs is essential for a healthy and thriving interest group that takes matters

Michael Dooley Professor Rampersaud POS 2041 TR 4:00 20347 February 27, 2018 into their own hands and does so in a peaceful manner. I dream other interest groups learn to be the same way.

Sources Cited “Interest Group” dictionary, 2005, http://www.dictionary.com/browse/interest-group. Accessed Feb 24, 2018

“Interest Group History” Virginia.edu, http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma98/pollklas/thesis/history.html. Accessed Feb 24, 2018

“NRA-ILA Takes the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence to the Woodshed Over SWATing Advice” thetruthaboutguns, 2015, http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2015/09/robert-farago/nra-ila-takesthe-coalition-to-stop-gun-violence-to-the-woodshed-over-swatting-advice/. Accessed Feb 24, 2018...