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Masse Responce to Events In order for us to understand the main factors that form public opinion about the events, we need to know what are the driving forces of mass psychology. Gustav Le Bon in his book The Crowd: A Study of Popular Mind says: Notwithstanding all its progress, philosophy has been unable as yet to offer the masses any ideal that can charm them; but, as they must have their illusions at all cost, they turn instinctively, as the insect seeks the light, to the rhetoricians who accord them what they want. Not truth, but error has always been the chief factor in the evolution of nations. The masses have never thirsted after truth. They turn aside from evidence that is not to their taste, preferring to deify error, if error seduce them. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim (Le Bon, p. 110).
Even though that he wrote his book in 19 th century, Le Bon's conclusions had never lost its actuality. One does not have to be a genius to realise that masses' response to events is always rather illogical. This is well known to the politicians with a talent for public oratory. When it comes to winning a public support, it is much more important to find a right word, which would appeal to crowd's deepest emotional needs, than to try applying a reason. This principle also applies in cases when leader seeks a public support for his vision of what country's policy should be. Let us take an American war on Iraq, for example.
It is absolutely clear to people, which are not totally deprived of intelligence, that there was absolutely no reason for this war to begin, in the first place. The real driving force behind it is a Jewish political lobbying. Basically, America got engaged in war with Iraq, because Israel was interested in it. Yet, if American public was told that our troops were being sent to die for Israel, where would much less idiots out on the streets, waving little American flags, as the gesture of their patriotism. That is why Americans were being told about the weapons of mass destruction, which Saddam Hussein was about to use against our country. The same happened when Clinton needed to divert public attention from his affair with Lewinsky to something else.
The target happened to be Yugoslavia. The mass support of this war was won by the simple psychological tricks, like showing columns of Albanian refugees, fleeing the Kosovo, while in fact, those were Serbs. The movie Wag the Dog explains the whole technique of forming public opinion about our country's foreign policies. In it, the Americans were made to believe that there was a raging war going on in Europe, which needed American involvement, while in fact, this was a lie. The masses need illusions and lie just as much as they need food. Take away from us our freedoms, our financial savings, humiliate us - there is going to be no reaction.
But take away our TV and will will revolt! This is goes to show that a really skilled politicians never wait for the time, when public opinion might become more or less favorable for their intended course of actions on international arena. They simply form such opinion, according to their needs. Therefore, we can say that the opinion of majority is always wrong, as it is based on wishful thinking, which appeals to crowd's lowest instincts. Le Bon is absolutely right when he suggests that: The varying impulses to which crowds obey may be, according to their exciting causes, generous or cruel, heroic or cowardly, but they will always be so imperious that the interest of the individual, even the interest of self-preservation. Any display of premeditation by crowds is in consequence out of the question.
They may be animated in succession by the most contrary sentiments, but they will always be under the influence of the exciting causes of the moment (Le Bon, p. 19). The irony of our times lies in fact that the public opinion is thought of in terms of final authority, while it is something that should be considered the least, while designing a foreign policy. In fact, if country's foreign policy is being supported by the majority of people, it is a good indication that such policy will unable to remain effective, in the long run. Bibliography: Le Bon, Gustav The Crowd: A Study of Popular Mind. 2002. University of Virginia. Electronic Text Center.
May 7, 2006. web
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Research essay sample on Le Bon Public Opinion
