No serious sociologist any longer believes that the voice of the people expresses any divine or specially wise and lofty idea. The voice of the people expresses the mind of the people, and that mind is made up for it by the group leaders in whom it believes and by those persons who understand the manipulation of public opinion. It is composed of inherited prejudices and symbols and cliches and verbal formulas supplied to them by the leaders. Edward L. Bernays
About This Quote

In a democratic society, the opinions of the public are highly influential. In a social system based on mass media and mass-marketing, the voice of the people is often manipulated. The people believe what they want to believe, and they vote according to what they believe. Many of the opinions that are conveyed by the people are not necessarily the correct opinions. Articles and news stories that appeal to a certain group of people often do not represent the majority opinion on a given issue.

Source: Propaganda

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