"What's popular is not always right; what's right is not always popular."
Many of you may remember reflecting upon the above aphorism after seeing it on a poster in high school. It's supposed to remind us that widespread opinions are capable of being wrong and that the minority is often ignored. In many instances, history has proven this quotation's truth.
One early example is the Salem witch trials. During the trials, many young girls' accounts of demons or specters were used as evidence against those accused of witchcraft - even though none of these spirits could be scientifically proven to exist. In the time and setting, the "evidence" was seen as legitimate, even though common sense soon afterward proved its insufficiency.
In the 17th century, the Catholic Church firmly believed in geocentrism, the theory that all celestial bodies revolved around the earth, which was at the center of the universe. Though that perspective is clearly in error today, astronomer Galileo Galilei was forced to recant his views soon after he argued that the earth actually revolves around the sun.
Consider the many ideas in our nation's history that have been turned on their heads. One hundred fifty years ago, slavery was an acceptable practice in most of the southern United States. Equal suffrage wasn't even extended to all races until five years after the Civil War ended. American women didn't gain the right to vote on a federal level until 1920, mainly because most American men didn't think them fit to vote.
Social psychologist Janis Irving coined the term groupthink, which is defined as "the act or practice of reasoning or decision-making by a group, especially when characterized by uncritical acceptance or conformity to prevailing points of view" (American Heritage Dictionary, 2000). Groupthink has led to some of the worst ideas in America's past, such as the Bay of Pigs invasion. Arthur Schlesinger, one of President John F. Kennedy's advisers, thought that the plan contained serious flaws, but was convinced by Attorney General Robert Kennedy to change his mind as the majority of advisers putatively supported the action. The 1986 Challenger disaster was also connected to groupthink - most NASA managers thought that the shuttle was in prime shape for launch, despite several other scientists' contentions.
Hanson's pop single "MMMBop" was a chart-topping international hit in 1997. But then ... well, I suppose that I should just stop there.
Despite all of history's implications, many people in modern society still seem to think that the popular opinion is naturally the right one. One recent example is Ohio's statewide smoking ban. Some contend that the smoking ban is "necessary" because most precincts supported the ban. This is flawed logic, as it ignores the other point of view and declares the ban "necessary" simply because of conventional opinion. If the ban is necessary, it's because facts backed up by scientific research demonstrate the harmful effects of secondhand smoking, not because the majority of citizens maintain a certain position.
There are plenty of popular ideas that are right, but it is foolish to deduce that the existence of those makes other popular ideas "right." This erroneous mind-set can lead to tragic events and occurrences such as the aforementioned.
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