What Happened in That Back Room?

On January 28th,1986, America was devestated when the Challenger space shuttle exploded in mid-air. Billions of people all over the world happily watched as a shuttle made it's way into space; a modern miracle.Until 1 minute later, when the shuttle suddenly exploded without warning, leaving everyone speechless as the reality set in that they had just witnessed one of the most grim disasters in our history. 

As with any accident, there has to be an explanation for circumstances after the fact. Those who have done their homework know that the reason the Challenger was blasted into oblivion due to a malfunction with the primary O-Ring; a device responsible for the sealant of the fuel within the rockets. The reason the primary O-Ring was unable to prevent the fuel from leaking, is that O-Rings respond negatively to cold temperatures. They expand with heat, and contract with cold. What many people do not know is that one NASA scientist was aware of this issue, and knew precisely what the consequences would be. He fought to delay the launch until a warmer time of the year, but he did so in vain. NASA's staff was united in it's determination to launch no later than January 28th. After cornered by an overwhelming staff of opposing scientists, the lone scientist citing poor conditions became a victim to "Group Think."

Group Think refers to the theory that a person will come to a conclusion, with firm conviction on their own. But once put into a group of similar and conflicting view points, one person's own conviction vanishes as their philosophy conforms to the melting pot. A former professor of mine taught my management class about group think, showing us archive footage of the NASA scientists during the Challenger campaign, displaying how Group Think determined the fate of the Challenger Explosion.

Having that been said, one must wonder what went on between the twelve jurors of the Casey Anthony case. Breaking down the not-guilty verdict further, this unlikely conclusion seems more and more interesting. When Casey Anthony was acquitted of first degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and aggravated manslaughter, we saw that 12 people unanimously decided that the defendant did NOT commit any of these crimes. Twelve different people all agreed on these three very different charges, agreeing that Anthony did NOT knowingly kill her daughter, she did not intentionally abuse her daughter in any way, and finally (and probably most shockingly) she in no way accidentally was responsible for the accidental death of her daughter, Caylee.

In the landmark film 12 Angry Men, Group Think is obviously present throughout the entire movie, as 12 men proclaim an accused murder not-guilty. In the film, 11 men decide intially the verdict is guilty, while 1 (Henry Fonda) decides he is NOT-GUILTY. Long story short, Group Think works both ways in this film both in good and bad ways, as 11 guilty voters slowly become 12 not-guilty voters, unanimously. Furthermore, with all of these details and reflections in mind, one must wonder just HOW did 12 jurors decide Anthony did absolutely nothing wrong in the death of her daughter. I -along with quite a few people I believe- was certain she would at least get the manslaughter charge, hands down. Wrong on that one.

As Anthony walks free, there will be no doubt debate and water-cooler discussion going on for months. Tomorrow the aftermath begins, and we will let the uproar commence.