The curse of public opinion

By Sean Turner

"Public opinion, a vulgar, impertinent, anonymous tyrant who deliberately makes life unpleasant for anyone who is not content to be the average man" -William Ralph Inge

Everyday it seems nearly impossible to listen to a news program, visit a news or political website, or even check email, without being inundated with poll after annoying poll. Even in my daily discussions with friends and associates, I hear the constant regurgitation of such trite phrases as "most Americans are against," "only a small number of Americans support," or "most of people believe." Who exactly are these "most people" anyway? And why should I care?

Last week, a columnist referenced an Associated Press poll, stating that "87 percent of Americans want the phrase 'under God' to remain in the Pledge of Allegiance." This weekend on CNN.com, a headline states "Poll finds divided opinion of Bush's performance." Everything from Hollywood relationships to the conflict in Iraq has some purported quantitative analysis of "public opinion" associated with it. T! hough few, if any polls claim to be accurate, this does not seem to deter many columnists, talk show hosts, cable networks, or even the average person from using them in a futile attempt to bolster an argument. In addition, polls, being statistical measurements of selected opinions, are subject to the capriciousness of their participants — who may be in favor of a policy one day, only to reverse course the next day. I guess the power of facts pales in comparison to the sentiment of countless anonymous people.

The danger of polls is not in their existence, but in the level of influence they have achieved for quite some time in politics. When so-called "public opinion" acts as a guide to governance, and forms the basis of legislation, the outcome is often unsavory. For example, in the not too distant past, "public opinion" dictated laws that prohibited miscegenation in this country. More recently, "public opinion" has led Congress to waste more of my money in taking up the issue of steroids in baseball — as if they didn't already have an abundance of useless and unjustifiable activities for which they continually steal the fruits of my labor. Today, "public opinion" has apparently found a plethora of fertile hosts in Congress and in the White House, who seek to inject current "public opinion" about same-sex marriages into the United States Constitution.

Though former President Clinton is said to have relied considerably on polls — this, if true, would hardly be an isolated case. For decades, politicians at every level of government, and from both major political parties, consult polls to determine exactly how to deceive the voting citizenry into abdicating more of their freedom. There are those that believe that many voters disdain politicians who appear to be ignoring their opinions or desires. Yet, it is the constant adherence to "public opinion" that has led to the insidious hegemony known as "the government."

It seems that what these voters are actually clamoring for is majority (read, mob) rule — commonly referred to as a democracy. This is fine, if everyone agrees with everyone else at all times, about everything. However, no such utopia will ever exist, no matter how hard voters and politicians try to create (read, force) it. Where there is a majority, there must then be a minority — even if the minority is one. Moreover, where the majority with its "public opinion" imposes its will over a minority, only tyranny can exist.

In James Fenimore Cooper's "On the Disadvantages of Democracy," this sentiment was relayed quite eloquently:

"It is a besetting vice of democracies to substitute public opinion for law. This is the usual form in which masses of men exhibit their tyranny."

The evidence of this abounds.

© Sean Turner