Public Opinion: Squishy and Substantial
Play-Doh. It’s that squishy, nice thing everyone has always loved, from kindergarten laughs to more recent Halloween disappointments. Like Play-Doh, public opinion is shapeable yet hard to change. Public opinion definitely creates what defines virtue. This power, however, can be manipulated, perhaps not following its own definition. Public opinion, for the most part, maintains virtue for society, and influences our actions. At the same time, it is difficult to understand public opinion, and more fully, the effect it has on society.
To discuss this topic, one must first understand what public opinion is. Its definition tells that public opinion is simply what the public thinks. Yet public opinion sets our standard for everything. If public opinion is so powerful, then it is truly our comprehension of it that is powerful. We do not have a true idea of what public opinion is—unless one includes Gallup polls or things of that nature. This seems like such an unnatural assessment of something that seems so fluid and immeasurable. But our comprehension of public opinion is what fuels it. A student would more likely see same-sex marriage as acceptable, as compared to baby boomers from Kansas. The citizens from Kansas might assume that same-sex marriage is not accepted by the public, due to the attitude they might receive from their cohort. A student would get a totally different message. Public opinion is truly made up of our understanding of public opinion.
Since public opinion seems to feel that public opinion is bad, there are some who choose to question the status quo, which inadvertently creates a new wave of public opinion. Most agree that it is bad to eat Play-Doh. But a rebellious child might want to eat Play-Doh. He would want to rebel against convention. If this idea was adopted by the children at his preschool, then eating Play-Doh would become publicly accepted as virtuous. Now, if Play-Doh eating became the status quo at his preschool, the children would be influenced by this ethos and enjoy the Play-Doh. As seen, public opinion is mostly our comprehension and understanding of it.
Public opinion can change, though maybe not easily. Likewise, Play-Doh’s shape can change. Take for example, the recent election. Obama and Romney hovered together in the polls (Gallup). There were, of course, speech missteps that pulled them apart. Polls showed how easily public opinion about the two men changed. Even though this part of public opinion changes and can be molded, the core defining factors—the color of the Play-Doh—cannot be changed easily. Public opinion will continue to favor the same traits. Though politically Obama and Romney polled differently, Obama was found to have much higher scores in trustworthiness and honesty (Canesco). These traits, which we define as virtuous, are determined virtuous by public opinion. Their core stays the same. From these statistics, anyone can clearly tell that public opinion defines virtue. But does public opinion maintain this virtue?
Throughout fads, fashions, and changes, there are a few central parts to public opinion that have and will stay the same. When Play-Doh is out for a long time, it dries up and stays in the same shape. When have kindness, sacrifice, or respect ever been out of style? These virtues, and other similar ones, have been established by public opinion. Even new ideas supported by public opinion are supported if people think the ideas support the core values found in public opinion. A treacherous example of public opinion’s double edged sword is shown in Dan Pallotta’s story. Pallotta organized a charity which involved biking to raise money for AIDS and cancer research. Of course, his efforts were admired by public opinion. His charity was seen as kind, hardworking, and successful. However, the public soon found out about the necessary overhead costs this charity had. Now, the public saw this charity as greedy and thieving. The public then demonized Pallotta and his efforts, because of the lack of understanding regarding running a successful charity. His charity went bankrupt, perhaps losing millions of dollars that could have saved lives. Public opinion has played two very different roles in this story.
Clearly, public opinion is quite powerful. All of us want to do something to be accepted, and even revered, by our peers. What determines this acceptance is public opinion, more so what public opinion considers good. Mark Twain, a famous writer and cultivator of public approval, mused, “We all do no end of feeling and we mistake it for thinking. And out of it we get an aggregation which we consider a boon. Its name is public opinion. It is held in reverence. It settles everything. Some think it is the voice of God.” We all try and please this powerful thing. We want to be accepted by others. Others accept us based on the beliefs of public opinion. We try to please it more than anything else, giving it more power. This unspoken justice system keeps us in check and encourages us to seek acceptance by putting the traits favored by public opinion into our lives.
In fact, public opinion is like a court (Frey). A hypothetical example will prove this. Pretend that stealing was allowed, but only if one stole from blind, bullied kittens living in poverty. These kittens (poor, bullied, and blind) hold the treasures of the world’s wealth. Yet everyone would know if someone robbed these kittens. For sure, no one would steal, even without the threat of legal justice. There is something more powerful at work: the public opinion justice system. Though this justice system mostly keeps us in check, there are several problems. As a society, we might unfairly judge a person—for any reason. This judgment would lead to a life sentence of exclusion and hatred from the Honorable Judge Public Opinion. For the most part, public opinion and the justice system it creates are extremely beneficial for society.
But public opinion can also be a prison. People aren’t always so smart; as many would be the first to admit, others especially aren’t smart. Well, even Play-Doh can get caught underneath finger nails. The power of public opinion, if used for the wrong reasons, is absolutely horrible. Bertrand Russell, a Nobel-prize winning philosopher and writer, called public opinion an unnecessary tyranny. If something is wrong, yet is favored by public opinion, it can have dastardly consequences. With the influence public opinion has, we can blind ourselves to these wrongs. Even if public opinion favors something good, it squishes individualism, and traps us in a prison free of thought. For that reason, we should be wary of public opinion, and carefully consider a new idea’s implications and values.
Public opinion is something we have evolved to have. A drawing shows man evolving, walking upright, but completely supported by marionette strings (Maentis). This powerful image shows how we have evolved to favor public opinion. It has only become more powerful in our modern day setting. In the early times, it was public opinion that told us to run from a rabid saber-toothed tiger. With technology and social media, public opinion is easier to access, making it even more powerful. It is easier to see if peers “liked” or “disliked” a new idea. Because of this plethora of information, we depend even more on public opinion. With the evolution of technology, and the way public opinion is affected, members of society will think collectively and seek acceptance from their peers more, and less frequently think from their own perspectives.
We mold ourselves to who we want to be. How we do so involves cultivating public approval. If we want to be “good,” we will do things public opinion rewards. As Shakespeare proclaimed, “All the world’s a stage/ And all the men and women merely players…” That’s why disgraced former idols often join beach cleanups with blind, bullied, underserved kittens. Like all aspects of public opinion, these performances have both benefits and downsides. If a rather slimy political figure with perhaps bad motives appeared with the same kittens, he would be influencing the public, but maybe not for the good. The beach cleanup with the aforementioned kittens would have a more virtuous purpose for someone like Lance Armstrong. Hopefully, we would hold our judgments about his other egregious wrongs and pay attention to, for example, the inspiration he gave through Livestrong. Both are players, performing for a powerful audience. Public figures pretend, and we do as well, trying to make ourselves seem a certain way to the public.
Play-Doh seems simple enough. To that child in the Play-Doh eating preschool: Don’t gulp down the whole carton of Play-Doh. Don’t picket it, either. Instead think about, see how it conforms to your values, then maybe try a little—in moderation. We should treat the wonderful yet cruel, the just yet biased, the great yet individuality crushing benefit or monster with concern and respect. One should see how the new idea supported by public opinion fits with their values, then consider it—very carefully. Though new ideas are just one part of public opinion, we are much more influenced by the constant courting and court system it establishes on us. Public opinion is a complex, changing blob that is affected by our comprehension of it. With it, our lives and beliefs are affected. It is powerful. It creates and maintains social standards, which are often virtuous.