Who's to Blame for the "Silent Majority"?

Freedom of expression? – For Whom?

This is America. We all have freedom of expression. It says so in the Constitution.
  
Amendment I

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."  Underlining and Italics mine.

Let me ask this to illustrate a point, why is the “Silent Majority” considered silent? Who labels it silent, who is responsible for its silence? I’ve considered myself to be in that “Silent Majority” – I’m not too silent. I bluster in my blogs and at political meetings and have taken it to the streets on occasion. But that isn’t the question.

Why wasn’t my voice and others heard?

Again the “silent majority” by definition is a majority of Americans. Are they really silent? Who determines their level of silence? What noise or commotion is it they make that causes some to feel the need to label them with such a moniker? Why are they thought to have such power?

Simple – They vote. Once every 2 years. The Media has to pay them attention then - and seemingly only then.

More precisely it is when they vote contrary to the way the Media thinks they should that Middle America gets labeled such by the Media. – That labeling somehow seems to justify the Media’s own ineptness. At least in their own mind. (“Look the “Silent Majority” suddenly said something!) That coincidently is the only time that the Media pays them any mind – during an election cycle.

It is not that they were silent but that the Media and decision makers found it easier to ignore what they were saying the rest of the time. The “Never Silent Media” otherwise is too busy to actually listen, they are too busy telling the decision makers what they don’t know (making it up) – about how Middle America really feels, what they really think. Then as with this last election the media and all who believe them are dumb founded when the “Silent Majority” stands up to be counted.

Again – That the “Silent Majority” is only paid attention to during an election – that is a great failing of not only the media but the Parties as well. It is however a great opportunity for anyone who sees that failing.

Barack Obama saw it and as the “Community Organizer” he was, took full advantage of it. While we think he may have had advantages (adoring Press etc.) he had fewer in the beginning. Remember Hillary was the “Anointed One” by the Media before Obama out organized her. He didn’t have all the media etc. on his side in the beginning. He created his own.

The media as with all “big groups” are too top heavy and bogged down with what they want reality to be, instead of what it is. (Read they begin to live in their own virtual reality or bubble).

Just like computers that have too much garbage in, eventually the garbage comes out.  It's not pretty when they step in it.

Then as quick as a politician kisses a baby, the “Silent Majority” after it wasn’t “Silent” in the only venue it has (the election) the Majority again becomes silent at least to the ears of the Media. The power structure goes back to business as usual, the Media back to singing its same old tired tune and the majority is forgotten again for another 2 years.

The point I’m trying to make is that the only time average Americans have a real voice that is counted is during an election. Once the vote is over so is their voice and the media goes back to telling us the news they deem fit for us to see.

Middle America/Rural America/Working America had become upset and angered by this Media ignorance this lack of respect in the past and it has done some good. 

The biggest tool fighting this has been the confluence of the internet all its various forms of news, as a welcome myriad of different sources of news cutting into the media monopoly. That has spawned some alternative news sources to the main stream media. Again Americans are being offered a choice to pick and choose from which news to trust in. 

Americans by nature love that freedom and are using it.
Imagine Americans being trusted to decide something for themselves and not needing to be told what to believe by the Media. Again trusting Americans to be able to “self-govern” and not be dictated to.  (sarcasm intended).

Sure I’m a blogger and have my own prejudices, and what I write isn’t the greatest of journalism. But it is honest and I try to check my sources. The public can feel free to read this or not. Sometimes the lone voice in a free market rises to the top. My picking Trump as winning the election was way ahead of the regular professional media.

Our American experiment in “self-governance” is protected by the Constitution. For it to work we need to adhere to its rules.  There must be freedom speech, religion, and all the other freedoms backed up by a “Rule of Law” in which everyone knows the rules and what their punishment will be if those rules are broken. This country works when free markets are not curtailed by monopolistic stifling government regulations. 

Free enterprise is the surest fastest and most successful engine propelling people out of poverty that the world has come up with yet.

For that however, free enterprise needs to be free for all to attempt if so inclined.

The same is true of the news. The more news sources the better – the more sources to choose from the better chance the honest news brokers rise to the top. It forces people to think.  When people have a choice to see both sides we generally pick the best one. America is based on the idea of the people knowing the truth or at least knowing a lie when they see one. Our Republic is based on our electing representatives that hold these truths self evident.

It is when the will of the people is denied that trouble starts. What kind of guts does it take to start a business? To risk all knowing that you’ll have to live “poor” and work long hours with only a small chance of success? What guts for a “nobody” to run for office? What guts to start an action committee for a cause? Why should you want to do that? Why should America want you to?

The answer is that this constant churning of people failing and succeeding at the small level is what raises that cream to the top. Plus mistakes made at the bottom are a lot easier to correct than when you wait to make them at the Federal level.  

And that cream that 1% if you will are the Microsofts and Googles and Amazons of the new age. Here I must add the Intels who announced with Trump they are finishing a $7billion plant in Arizona hiring 3,000 workers.  Yes these fledgling ideas started as ideas and rose to the top and now employ millions of people. 

They keep our economy ticking. They pay the majority of the taxes. The same churning in local politics is how a myriad of ideas battle it out to see which ones work and which ones don’t.  Which Candidates rise which ones don't. 

Where individual freedom reigns, the cream has the best chance of rising to the top.
But I digress. In our American Experiment the burden of success lies not in the President or the leaders but in the choice the voters make on Election Day. It is the responsibility of the voter to pick and choose wisely. 

But it is more than that it is the responsibility of the voter to make their voices heard all year and not allow themselves to be labeled the “Silent Majority”  As Barack Obama recently said “It is fine for everybody to feel stressed, sad, discouraged, But get over it. move forward to protect what we’ve accomplished.”

I agree with him on that.  As we see the never ending Trump bashing, I'm getting over it real quick and moving forward to protect what we've accomplished.  A Trump President.

Hey You should too.

Regards, Bob Carr
Live Dangerously, Tell the Truth.
glhotdogs513@gmail.com
231-728-3455

For further reading to be up for my next post try these links.

Trump economic progress. http://www.forbes.com/sites/aarontilley/2017/02/08/intel-gets-cozy-with-trump-investing-7-billion-into-us-chipmaking-facility/#59bf49ed7874

How to get Trump supporters organized by the king of Community Organizers, Barack Obama. https://www.ofa.us/

He is back in the news with OFA and he’s setting up an Obama Foundation. Yikes did he learn something from the Clinton Foundation.