Examples of government or industry silencing or ridiculing dissent?

Question

I am writing a paper about Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring," a book that exposed irresponsible pre-1962 pesticide spraying practices that killed wildlife and endangered health.

Eventually Carson was victorious as her expose proved truthful, but before that there was an immediate backlash against her in magazines and papers like "Time." They called her a mystical nature nut and blasted her dissent against what had been a very profitable pesticide industry (with massive overuse of chemicals).

Eventually her book changed the world and helped open people's eyes to environmental issues. This greatly helped the formation of the environmental movement.

I am looking for other examples of individuals who have spoken out against industry or government corruption / irresponsibility, and were ridiculed.

Any example will do, they don't have to end up winning like Carson did. Thank you for your help!

Answer 1

Erin Brocovich she perfomed some dangerous investigations.  Dow Chemical and the Love Canal are two more examples.  Right down to the three eyed frogs.  Just this past January the Potomac River was polluted with birth Control pills, changing the gender of the fish. (MSNBC News on line article)

Answer 2

The female activists from code pink who are against the war, have been refused entry into Canada as they had had trivial disturbing the peace charges and what not.  I do believe one was a Colonel who had also served in Iraq.  They were on some kind of watch list of the FBI or CIA.

Answer 3

You might want to look at the enormous jump in malaria cases world wide after the banning of DDT as an insecticide as well. It's a direct result of Rachel Carson's book.

Answer 4

Ralph Nader's book  "Unsafe at any Speed" brought about seat belts and safer placement of gasoline tanks in cars.

Answer 5

I was trying to think of the female reporter who worked for former Press Secretary,Marlin Fitzwater(George Herbert Walker Bush) who had predicted the possibility of an attack by jet liner over American soil and the need to tighten security at our nations airports back in '93. She was told to keep her mouth shut or she'd  never work in this country again.

What about the guy at the University of Florida who tried to ask John Kerry a question and it takes six armed campus police to subdue this guy. Talk about over kill. He's down and handcuffed tand they  STILL tase this guy.

Maybe someone never told Mr. Kerry that the government works for the people,NOT the other way around.