The Minority

There comes a point in every class, when the teacher, all of a sudden, asks a difficult question. Complete silence and complete panic follows. It feels as if time has stopped. Everyone looks anywhere, but at the teacher. Who is going to speak up? Who is going to be the brave sole to voice their opinion first? Regardless of the question, the person who raises their hand first holds the power to set class opinion. Even if they answer wrong, the rest of the class will start to question their thoughts. The rest of the class thinks,

“Will these folks frown, argue, or curse my stubbornness? Worse yet, will they snicker or laugh at me If I say what I really think, will they turn away in contempt or kick me out of the group?” (Noelle-Nuemann  374).

So we stay silent.

Is this right? Most would say no, especially, if the answer is wrong. But sometimes the answers are not so clear cut. Sometimes, they are opinion based.  Personally, I don’t like causing disagreements. I don’t like arguing. Do I have an opinion about Gay Marriage, McDonalds, and Donald Trump? Of course! But I won’t share that in fear of being part of the minority.

In the first reading, Elizabeth Noelle-Nuemann, also talks about the power and influence of TV. She talks about television’s “All-surrounding presence, its single point of view, and the constant repetition of its message. These factors override selective exposure, therefore biasing a whole nation's judgment on the prevailing opinion” (375).

TV shows and movies shape our worldview. This isn’t surprising to me. Movies like, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, The Sound of Music, and Grease influenced previous generations while Avengers, Game of Thrones, and even Mean Girls influence our opinions today.

Should the media be setting public opinion? Should Kim Kardashian be the new role model for girls? Hollywood holds power because we buy into it. We want to be like famous people because, of course, they are happy, right? Why is Hollywood the standard? I don’t think it’s healthy. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m the minority.