LETTER: The majority is often wrong

In response to Bruce Kay’s letter, Feb. 2.

He is asking the media to censor anything he doesn’t agree with; With that, everything else he says is void in my mind. I can tolerate a different, well-researched opinion but at censorship I close the blinds and move along. Maybe he can be the municipal propagandist.

The criticism of Helmut Manzl (a columnist for The Chief) is misguided to say the least. We are leaving behind an utter mess. No matter what the experts say this will not last. 

Are we to base all decisions on these so-called experts? This is not a self-sustaining model. Positive change is always arrived at by challenging the status quo, and that is what Helmut is doing. 

Media representation of events affect those who allow themselves to be manipulated, but then the manipulation can enter in a myriad of representations, otherwise the chief impact might be as much as a raindrop to a pail of water. If the problems aren’t identified correctly blame will be focused elsewhere and that is a big problem. To say these are very complex problems is absolutely wrong, but misidentification is a problem.  Poor Bruce is over-thinking these problems – you are not alone.

Personally I see no difference in someone getting 100 per cent of their news from CBC or Fox; either way you don’t have your own opinion. You are repeating a packaged opinion of someone else and don’t be smug and think you have a well-formulated opinion. 

If you read one book on a particular subject you have the author’s opinion. If you read 10 books on that subject you have a chance at formulating your own opinion. Too often people take refuge in the safe consensus of the majority, and the majority is quite often wrong.

I agree attendance is not a measure of competence. One councillor that was noted (Jason Blackman-Wulff) is our best and brightest elected official, even though I don’t always agree with him.

Bruce no doubt is well intentioned, but he is heading in the wrong direction. By the way, what is a logical fallacy? A polite way of saying a lie? If so, no lies .

The budget, that is another issue.

Dave Colledge
Squamish