Lippman vs. Dewey

Although Walter Lippman and John Dewey have contrasting views regarding the general public's ability to understand and dissect news, they both agree manipulation is present. Lippman argues for the elites, stating that they are helpful in the dissection of ideas, because they are knowledgeable and trained. Furthermore, the public is susceptible to manipulation. In other words, the elites know what they are talking about and the public does not know as much as they think they know. Dewey, however, believes individuals can understand these complex ideas without the help of the elites. 

The Occupy Wall Street and Tea Party movements suggest that the public has an understanding of what is happening politically and economically in our society. Lippman argues that we the public are not educated and trained to make decisions and know what to do. He would argue these movements are pointless and have no adequate structure, a.k.a. it is a group of people who have no idea what they are talking about. He would argue that the decisions about the government and economy should be left to the elites, who are trained to make these decisions. However, Dewey would disagree and support the public protests. The public has access to information and facts, allowing them to make formulated opinions about what they deem should happen or change in our economy. 

After watching two news segments on each movement, it was obvious that the protesters were not providing specific ideas or changes that should be implemented to better the economy. Rather they were addressing there is a problem and there needs to be a solution to this problem. They are aware that it is up to the elites to implement these changes. So rather than implying there are "wiser" and "trained" to make these changes, they are just addressing the fact that there is a problem that needs to be fixed.

Although access to information is available to the public, most people fail to research and obtain all the facts. We watch the news stations and listen to the radio stations that support our beliefs. Or we view several news and radio stations, take in all the information, however differently presented, and attempt to formulate our own ideas. It is difficult to know what the truth is. If the truth was presented, without any bias, the public would be able to have a better understanding of what is going on. We do not need to be thoroughly trained. We just need the facts. It is up to our representatives to implement changes. However, protests are an effective way to promote change. These protests are a response from the public. In order for these protests to be effective, they need to have a strong backbone. In other words, they need to be led by people who are informed. If we are accurately informed, we will have the ability to understand and process what is provided to us without the help or manipulation of the elites.