Silent Majority

People scare me. Not every person just the unreasonable ones. The recent health care debate has really brought down the nuts from the crazy tree. Opponents have posted the home addresses of democratic politicians on the web. Sarah Palin has a map on her site with target symbols over certain states. Whatever happened to fighting fair? Is a person's home no longer sacred? What really bothers me is the way the media portrays these people as representative of the majority voice. I truly hope that they are not.

It is a given that many on two legs act more like their brethren on four. Television and radio personalities would have no audience were it not for their flock. Rhetoric, euphemisms and sound bytes are used to their advantage. People are rallied under the banner of nonsensical one-liners written on signs and banners. Getting these people to think for themselves is near impossible. Knee-jerk reactions are their stock in trade. Regardless of whichever talking head these people follow their extreme points of view get displayed on the nightly news.

There must be others like myself who realize that multiple valid viewpoints exist. Many of our nation's problems simply cannot be solved with one simple answer nor can every citizen be placated. Compromise is the key. Intelligent people understand that others exist and that their feelings and needs are valid. Too often I hear complaints that come down to one ridiculous idea: If I do not like a thing then it should not exist no matter what anyone else thinks, wants or feels.

Think I am being extreme? Look at any effort by a minority group to change the status quo. I have yet to see one of these groups willing to negotiate. They proclaim their truth and their way as the solution to the evil that only they perceive. Inevitably our political representatives will kowtow to their wishes. Why might this be? It is like the old saying about the squeaky wheel. I liken it more to a room full of babies. It is the one that constantly cries that gets the most attention. I guess I should be thankful therefore that actual babies do not get to vote.

A true majority exists. The reason that these special interest groups get so much attention for their whining is that we, the majority, are too busy with real problems rather than the sleights suffered by our narrow-minded neighbors. The silent majority is comprised of real people with real lives that take precedence over that which appears too far away and not terribly relevant. Certainly we vote when asked and get involved when the issues are tantamount. What we do not is raise our voices when the minority viewpoint does not match our own.

This has always been the biggest complaint. A small but vocal minority rallies for change and when they have succeeded the majority finally notice. We say, "Gee, where did our rights go?" It has been said that those who will not remain vigilant deserve what they get. And to some extent this is true. If we as a nation do not stand up for what we believe in we deserve what we get. I for one am damn tired of what I am getting thanks to the few as opposed to the many. I wish I knew what it will take to awaken the sleeping giant that is the silent majority. I only pray that we awaken before it is too late.