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The silent majority

(2007-06-01 17:22:00) 下一个
Somewhere I read, probably from The Economist, that the silent majority of US is less polarized than most people were led to believe. They are more sympathatic of the social controversies like gay marriage, abortion, etc. But the media thrives on controversies, so the perception is that the country is so divided. It just occured to me that the same thing happened on these online discussions too. People with extreme views tend to post, while the silent majority scanned the posts, maybe had a good laugh or two, then move on. So people who felt harshly judged by some posts need not feel offended, or even the need to defend themselves, but to simply believe what's right is always in the mind of silent majority.
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exofex 回复 悄悄话 "simply believe what's right is always in the mind of silent majority"?

people belonging to the silence majority actually hold different opinions. they have their own reasons in choosing to remain silent, not necessarily as what you may think.
exofex 回复 悄悄话 You choose to speak out because you hold a different opinion. only when you value your opinion serious enough then you would collect the guts to speak out.

once you start to speak out (post), as time goes by, you would tend to post extreme views (without realizing it), because extreme views attract eyeballs, which satisfies the poster's self-ego and motivates the posting incentives.

therefore, if you want to be a member of the silence majority, you should stay silent.

but can you?
gray 回复 悄悄话 Good point!
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