The Silent Majority

Former U.S President Richard Nixon coined the phrase the silent majority during a televised national address on November 3, 1969, when he said, “And so tonight—to you the great silent majority of my fellow Americans—I ask for your support.”  President Nixon proffered the title of the silent majority to those who weren’t participating in the mass demonstrations occurring throughout the country against the war in Vietnam.  His belief, which proved true, was that a plurality of Americans was supportive of his message and not inclined to publicly voice their view by rioting or protesting.  It was an insight that proved him well during his first term and led to his reelection in 1972. 

Almost fifty-five years since Nixon named his core base of support, I wonder, is there still a silent majority?  It is a fair question.  Today our most vocal citizens, and it appears there are a lot of them, seemed to have aligned themselves either with the left or the MAGA right.  I draw that quick conclusion based on the two parties’ polling numbers, and the amount of attention they receive.  Without contradictory data, all the noise around the fight between the right and the left suggests there isn’t a large body of voters who don’t identify with either group.  That would be an easy conclusion, but I do think that is misleading, surveys are beginning to suggest that the number of voters who claim the status of independent has grown and may now be larger than either Democrats or Republicans.  So maybe, just maybe, there is a silent majority. 

I don’t know for sure how large the group is, but whatever body of Americans consider themselves independent are unheard, underrepresented, and therefore, for all intent and purposes, silent.  And it is easy to see why.  If you’re not aligned with either movement, you can easily feel overwhelmed in this political environment.  Have you noticed how people you know, or even random strangers, wear their politics on their sleeve?  They seemingly can’t help themselves.  It is as though there isn’t anything in their lives other than the tribe they belong to.  It is difficult to have a conversation with people like this because everything is seen through their home team’s prism.  I have watched as friends I have, or family I care for, are so consumed with their cause that everything they post, every message they send, every conversation they have is either slamming their enemy—the other party—or praising their movement in ways that seem misguided, at times delusional, and borderline unhealthy.  I’m not exaggerating, you can almost immediately tell if someone is regularly watching Fox News or MSNBC at night.  They appear to have lost their ability to freely think and only can use the catchphrases they hear nightly pounded into their head.  It is maddening to talk to people like this.  They are always overly confident spewing facts they heard on their propaganda network, without any consideration that it might not be true, and they have no interest in any other perspective.

It is bad enough to have major “news” networks communicating propaganda at scale, but then to have the legions of listeners drinking the Kool-Aid and serving it hourly to anyone who they interact with, compounds the feeling that there aren’t many people who remain in the middle.  And oh yea, the passion with which the followers of their tribes express themselves is daunting.  A few years ago, you could try to engage in a conversation with a believer without it getting weird, but those days seem to be gone.  Consider how much energy is spent on the left pushing down Donald Trump; by contrast the same level of emotion is spent by the MAGA crowd trying to lift Donald Trump.  It is two powerful forces engaging in a fight to the finish.  And for what purpose; Donald Trump, the country, or their personal need to win?

If you are lucky enough to find someone who is in the “new” silent majority, you are likely to hear them quietly say they think both sides are crazy.  They will probably go further and point out that Donald Trump isn’t worth the effort the left spends to attack him and the energy the right spends on defending him.  It is a good question.  Is he worth all that?  He is at the core of our dysfunctional politics and the nominee for one of the major parties, so you can’t ignore him, but it would be nice if we could. 

I’m not picking sides; I am just wondering; at what point did the loudest people control the narrative and the direction of the country?  In 1969, there were a lot of loud citizens, but the silent majority stepped in and tried to calm down the chaos.  Is that possible now?  Is there anything that can lower the temperature and give US citizens less madness and more thoughtful conversations about the problems we have and the solutions we need to work on to get things done?

I have my doubts and I admit, I think about this a lot.  I wonder why so many people I respect and like have decided the fight they are in is more important than anything else, including the best interest of the country.  I know they have convinced themselves, with the help of their favorite propaganda station, that the battle at hand is for the soul of our nation.  The problem is, if you give up your own soul to fight for some elevated cause, what soul remains in the nation? 

I admire people who are thoughtful, have principles, and defend what they believe in.  Those people are to be acknowledged and followed.  What I can’t stomach is people who have lost their values and principles following a cause, movement, or person only for the transactional value.  They love what it/they can do for them and to hell with their core values. 

Because of the admiration I have for principled people, I have become a big fan of independent voters.  They exist in a world that is so full of noise and hostility; constantly pushed to choose a side that doesn’t fit their beliefs.  It is hard and unenviable.  It reminds me of going to the SEC football championship years ago to watch Florida play Alabama.  I didn’t then, and I don’t now, care for either of them; so, I sat quietly among the throng of fans hoping for a good game.  I wasn’t going to wear red or blue.  I was trying to be the silent minority.  It wasn’t a fun experience.  I can’t remember who won, I just remember the loud, rude people.

I hope there is a silent majority; we would be so much better off if there was.  But what if there isn’t?  Are we now relegated to a political system, where the loudest, most obnoxious, and offensive leaders get the win?  Is this truly a race to the bottom?  Are we to suspend all rational thought and discard what we have been taught and fall in line?  That feels like the path we are on. 

I would like to rally the words of, admittedly a deeply flawed president, and see if we can create momentum with the silent majority and cast aside the fringes who seem determined to drive us into a ditch.  I would like that to happen; but I am afraid that once again I am in the silent minority.