Popularizers bring ‘Power to the People’

Popularizer is a word I heard historian William Norton Smith use when discussing American Presidents on C-Span. He did not elaborate significantly but it was apparent to me that he used the word to describe individuals who make popular the books of authors who write about significant concepts that are seldom disseminated throughout the population.

Our educational system prepares us to become good producers and consumers. However, in the name of efficiency, our educational system leaves us ignorant of many domains of knowledge that are vital to our comprehension of matters that seriously affect the health of our culture and of the world. Psychology is just one example of such a domain.

Mr. Smith and I agree that it is essential that someone carry to the people these vital concepts that I mention.

Do you have any desire to be a popularizer?

Isn’t the Internet discussion forum an ideal medium for popularizers to perform their function?

I guess that more than one million individuals visit an Internet discussion forum each day.

Off the top of my head I guess that there are more than 100 Internet discussion boards and that there are on average 15 forums per board. I also guess that every day more than 100 thousand members visit their board.

Popularizers bring ‘Power to the People’ ....

If that's true, it's unfortunate, because most people don't know how to use "power".

Baron Max

I would think of it more as mainstreaming. Who wants to bloody be mainstreamed?? Ugh.

Guns bring power to the people, roughnecks bring power to the people. "Popularizers" can make Carl Jung trendy for a couple weeks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PDw2jRvDC4

Popularizers tend to create a temporary backlash against business as usual. They TAKE power from generally conservative/libertarian leaning individuals. Hitler was one.

popularisation leads to dogmaticism.
However i have no personal experience or involvement in either and therefore cannot comment with any sort of validity or expertise on this matter.

I guess that more than one million individuals visit an Internet discussion forum each day.

Off the top of my head I guess that there are more than 100 Internet discussion boards and that there are on average 15 forums per board. I also guess that every day more than 100 thousand members visit their board.

a 100 boards ????

There are thousands of boards with hundreds of thousands of forums. Probably millions. A million forums is just one for every 6,000 people on the planet and I have my own forum as do other 'average' people I know.

Maybe when he said "more than 100 Internet discussion boards " he meant 1 million more.

Maybe when he said "more than 100 Internet discussion boards " he meant 1 million more.

So true. :D

popularisation leads to dogmaticism.
However i have no personal experience or involvement in either and therefore cannot comment with any sort of validity or expertise on this matter.

Few people let such matters interfere with posting.

a 100 boards ????

There are thousands of boards with hundreds of thousands of forums. Probably millions. A million forums is just one for every 6,000 people on the planet and I have my own forum as do other 'average' people I know.

That is news to me. I have been prowling discussion forums for several years and have no reason to accept your estimate.

Er dude, there are like millions of discussion boards. The internet is full of them.

Actually the internet is a counter-balance to false information you can get from people on the street. You can look up anything and get the real facts on the matter.

Tv on the other hand is a tool for the already rich to advertise shitty products so they can make bank and stomp down on any competitors. It provide a medium that allow for companies/politicians to hide behind and tell you what is cool and what is not. What is right and what is wrong.

Hilary Clinton will probably become the next US president even though I cringe when I think of it and a lot of people would probably agree except for the one's that believe Hilary is going to be guided by Bill Clinton while in Office. Which is not going to happen because Hilary is a big feminist and feminists do not need any advice. At least that is what most of them believe any how.

Anyways back on-topic. Hilary will probably win because every woman is going to vote for her just because she's a woman. And then every guy that is warped into believing that Hilary is controlled by Bill is going to vote for her. And then the rest of the votes will be too spread out between the other competitors for anyone else to have a chance on winning the election.

I could be wrong though and personally I hope I am wrong. Ill just have to wait for everything to unfold.

Actually the internet is a counter-balance to false information you can get from people on the street. You can look up anything and get the real facts on the matter.

Hmm, I think that's false. There's a lot more false information on the Internet than one could ever find "on the street".

I agree that you can look up anything, but what you get certainly can't be taken as factual or correct or accurate. There's no accountability for what's stored on the 'Net ...anyone can say anything with complete immunity.

Baron Max

Depends on the source.
Websites like the guardian or bcc news have to remain as true to the facts as they do in print. And something like wikipedia, despite having a reputation as being untrustworthy has actually been shown to be as factual and consistant as any 'proper' encylopedia.
I take your point though, for alot of people the internet offers the perfect safe haven to say anything and everything completely unchallenged.