As an individual you have very limited options when it comes to expressing your opinions on the hot issues of the day. You can write letters to the local newspapers, knowing that few people read newspapers and even fewer read the letters that are published. You can also call the various morning talk shows but since there is no point in calling a host that agrees with you and those that disagree will either cut you off or overpower your 30 second input with ten minutes of rebuttal this is unlikely to have the required effect. If you insist on expressing yourself to friends, family and co-workers they will tune you out and agree behind your back that you are becoming obsessive. Talking to strangers is unwise unless you are a taxi-driver or barber. A better alternative might be to write a regular column for a newspaper or even better own one or become a talk show host and/or own a radio or TV station. Easy to say but rather difficult in practice!
However, there is a cheaper and easier way. Organisations have far greater opportunities to get their messages across than individuals because they purport to represent large numbers of members. Newspapers run banner headlines and two page articles when an organisation makes a statement on an issue; radio news spots feature the statement for days and talk show hosts use it as a springboard for their own opinions. The real bonus comes from getting TV coverage – up to half an hour on a slow news day and with serious crime going down there are a lot of slow news days. The coverage can be expanded by press conferences, press releases, prompt statements refuting any counter arguments, and even marches and demonstrations.
These are all legitimate parts of the democratic process but like anything else they can be gamed and apparently Belize is an ideal location for such gaming. Publicity hounds who feel the need for a shot of public recognition can share their wisdom with the world by becoming an organization. This is particularly obvious with those “organisations” that are always represented by the same one or two spokespersons or those that seem to have no special mission but are always against whatever the government is doing. The news media, more concerned with bumping up their rankings by reporting controversies than investigating stories, never seem to check on how legitimate an organisation is before affording it extensive news coverage.
Many of these opinionated individuals and some genuine organisations are obviously paid functionaries of a political party or a corporate interest and the public is largely aware of these ties. Some, though, seem to be genuinely driven by a need to oppose everything that those in authority propose – they are like legendary rebels without a cause. This is understandable for teenagers who are biologically programmed to oppose the older generation (until they become part of it and have to take responsibility for their actions) but is a cause for concern when it extends into adult life. Since they oppose everything they are naturally uninformed about the majority of their causes, many of which they feel compelled to make statements on immediately they smell some public interest. The political opposition is naturally quite happy to jump on whatever bandwagon these confused individuals are riding.
There is an air of “let’s pretend” that allows the game to function. Publicity seekers pretend to head real organisations and often form loose coalitions to add bulk to other one- or two-person organisations. Media houses fill their time slots by pretending that they are reporting on real organisations and thus real controversies. Genuine experts can be dry and difficult to understand, especially in technical areas that cannot be easily simplified, while publicity seekers are often colourful and entertaining individuals speaking in words pitched to a general audience. With the silent majority being silent, the public is often confused about the true situation.
Time to stop pretending and be clear which pipers are merely playing the discordant tunes they hear in their own heads and which are being paid to play the tunes of their masters.
