This, That, and the Other

Back in the 1960s — and yes, I was alive back then — the phrase “The Silent Majority” was coined by none other than then-POTUS, Richard M. Nixon. He used it in a speech to express his belief that the great body of Americans supported his policies and that those who demonstrated against the involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War amounted to only a noisy minority.

In his speech on November 3, 1969, Nixon said, “And so tonight — to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans — I ask for your support.”

I, of course, was a member of the noisy minority.

In the 60s, there was no such thing as the internet. There was no Twitter, no Facebook, no Fox News. People got their news from newspapers, magazines, and local and national news broadcasts on TV and radio, and not from myriad talking heads on 24×7 cable news channels or from the news feed on their smartphones.

Today, for better or worse, there’s no such thing anymore as a silent majority. Majority or minority, everyone is noisy.

There’s only real news and fake news. Real news is news you agree with. Anything else is fake news. Facts and truth don’t seem to matter in an age where the leader of the free world constantly lies to the public.

Everything and everyone is partisan these days and most are not shy about expressing their opinions, especially when it can be so easily done behind the anonymity of the internet, where people somehow feel free to say things they would be reluctant to say in face-to-face conversations.

Donald Trump was not elected by a majority of Americans. He doesn’t represent the views, interests, or needs of the majority of Americans.

The actions of the Republicans in Congress also do not represent the wishes and hopes of the majority of Americans. They are puppets of the rich donors. Most polls say that around 70% of Americans are opposed to the tax bill the Republicans will likely pass next week and send over to the President to be signed into law. But large corporations and the ultra rich GOP donors are salivating.

Most Americans believe that Trump has been complicit with the Russians during last year’s campaign…and still is. Most Americans believe that Trump is guilty of obstructing the investigation into Russia’s role in the elections and his participation.

The real American majority is becoming more and more vocal. There will be a reckoning coming in 2018, where the vocal, noisy majority of Americans who oppose Trump will be heard and will drown out the minority who somehow still support their con man-in-chief.

I just hope that there will be no bloodshed when that reckoning happens.

This rant was written for today’s one-word prompt, “silent.”