Silent Majority: Difference between revisions
m
clean up
m (Mass update links) |
m (clean up) |
||
Line 2:
{{quote|''...And that is my opinion, as the [[Large Ham|VOICE, of the SILENT MAJORITY!]] Of course, having said that, I am no longer a member.''|'''Al Murray''', paraphrased, ''[[Mock the Week]]''}}
The
These people are important. They still buy books, CDs, videogames, and movie tickets. They still get and fill out Nielsen diaries. They are the ones who keep shows alive years after most on the Internet are thinking "Hey, is that still on?" They are the ones who support works that are popular [[Its Popular So It Sucks|despite open internet-fandom contempt]]. And if creators who are [[Pandering to the Base]] have no idea that they are part of the base and no idea what their probable attitudes are, the pandering may backfire - and none who actually speak of the work will ever be sure why...
Line 10:
This majority referred mainly to the older generation (those World War II veterans in all parts of the United States) but it also described many young people in the Midwest, West and in the South, many of whom did eventually serve in Vietnam. The Silent Majority was mostly populated with the blue collar people who allegedly didn't have the ability or the time to take an active part in politics other than to vote. They did, in some cases, support the conservative policies of many politicians. Others were not particularly conservative politically, but resented what they saw as disrespect for American institutions.
The silent majority theme has been a contentious issue amongst journalists since Nixon used the phrase. Some thought Nixon used it as part of the Southern strategy; others claim it was Nixon's way of dismissing the obvious protests going on around the country, and Nixon's attempt to get other Americans not to listen to the protests. Whatever the rationale, Nixon won a landslide victory in 1972, taking 49 of 50 states, in many ways vindicating his "silent majority."<ref>
Contrast with [[Vocal Minority]].
|