Word: opinionizing
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...Changes in popular opinion are not only a matter of changing minds: they require communicating to society at large that minds are being changed. But much of the content of our social consciousness has nothing to do with laws or policy: the acceptability of subtle prejudices, the terms of political debate, or what subjects of public conversation are taboo—these cannot be legislated. How then do we know when opinions are changing...
...These examples all have aspects of opinion leadership in them—perhaps we are being told to think abortion is acceptable, casual homophobia is wrong, and philanthropy is imperative. More likely, though, pop culture is reifying our already-shared but unexpressed belief that the emperor has no clothes...
...when it comes to social change and political discourse, we need figures like Martin Luther King to mobilize individuals who share beliefs to make our policies reflect them, and we need opinion leaders like Congress and the Supreme Court to make policies that lead us to better beliefs. But we also need popular culture. It doesn’t tell us what to think—it tells us that others think what we think, too. It is the voice of the silent majority; it is the emperor?...
...Obama's father quickly drew a crowd of friends at the university. "We would drink beer, eat pizza and play records," Abercrombie says. They talked about Vietnam and politics. "Everyone had an opinion about everything, and everyone was of the opinion that everyone wanted to hear their opinion-no one more so than Barack...
...Clinton gathered his aides to admit his lapses with Monica Lewinsky; the meetings are increasingly rare and heavily ceremonial, which makes sense, because what CEO in his right mind would invite 21 executives to a substantive meeting? Bush already knows his plans for Iraq; he doesn't need the opinion of Susan Schwab or Stephen Johnson - and yes, you get a gold star if you knew Bush's trade representative and EPA administrator. Big Cabinets leak; small coteries of aides who can't be compelled to testify before Congress are much better at keeping their mouths shut...