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The tyranny of public opinion

Be it the French Revolution or the more recent Arab uprisings, historical events reiterate how public opinion breeds revolutions

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As societal evolution renders tyranny obsolete, it becomes paramount to question the grounds positioning the oppressed as forces eclipsing the oppressor, to concentrate the springboards of revolution into a solitary cause. Subsequently, it is perhaps unsurprising to consider, rather than events specific to the timelines of totalitarianism, the growth of public opinion as the grassroots of protest — the mass ardour of collectivity as the reason for its physical outrage.

Public opinion is not stationary; it is, in lieu of inert stagnancy, a force equitable to plasticity. Public opinion stands as an occurrence of collective behaviour, which is composed of those orchestrating dialogue of public issue. In its essence, this form endures in multiple bodies — each of which surfaces predominantly when conflict exists.  Consequently, collective view against the glorification of social despotism can metamorphose detached fragments of obtuse reactions into settled convictions.

In the context of revolutionary France, the intense proliferation of public opinion cultivated criticism of political fallacies garnering under the umbrella of monarchial governance. As the social injustice saturated bourgeoisie sentiments, a mounting infatuation with political defamation, coupled with scandal unravelled by the press, condensed public respect for royalty. Put forth by Jeremy Popkin in A Short History of the French Revolution, slander sprawled across spheres of public discourse accused the queen of coercing a licentious Cardinal to present her with jewels. Within public opinion, this affair not only eroded the portrayed stature of monarchy but also the king as inept in royal interests. Likewise, placing the cardinal as a potential seducer of the queen, defamed the reputation of a religiously driven regime. Growing public opinion, therefore, morphed into a collective outlook against the royal dynasty and their un-terminating power.

Spiralling back to the present, it becomes inconspicuous that the opinion-draped bedrock of 18th century protest is in harmony with the splintering orbs of contemporary revolutions. The Arab uprisings were a distinct testimony to the manifestation of public opinion and its prominence in the Middle East. Embittered by the absence of economic reform and versed governance, public opinion solidified as physical protest against governments donning ineptness. Accordingly, it is the collective accumulation of political perspectives that fractured the contract laid between the government and the governed.

More recently, the anti-corruption movement of India drew professionals — parallel only in belief — under a parade of public opinion.

Radhika Nair, media professional, writer and activist, says, “In an age of information highways, news and views are available at one’s finger tips and plays a huge role in moulding public opinion. Not only has this given activism a boost, it has made it possible for popular opinion to start influencing governance and policy, giving the average citizen a voice in democracy. The outrage against corruption gathered steam in the form of the India Against Corruption movement, then Aam Aadmi Party and it’s growing influence as a political force.”

Shepherded by Anna Hazare, the clout of public opinion paved the path for the voiceless to metamorphise into a transformative force capable of shifting perceptions and initiating a fixed protest against dominant authority. This essentially exhibited the power of opinion-herded outrage in wake of unaddressed injustice. In this sense, public opinion may also persist as a personification of national will and the abstract notion from which actual action spawns. It becomes not simply a pageant of aligning perspectives but the basis of social dynamics.

For phases this discrete in history to carry characteristics akin not simply at face value but also in the implications they spur is for the growth of public opinion to become an abiding trend prevailing over time.

(The author is a Class 10 student of Oberoi International School, Mumbai who has found the importance of rhetoric, prose and information in countering social injustice.)

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