In the 1920s, America's most influential commentator, Walter Lippmann, wrote a chilling book called Public Opinion, in which he acknowledged the growing importance of the public's views on policy matters, but seriously challenged the capacity of the public to serve its role in democratic governance. He bemoaned the ignorance of the populace. Stereotypes and simplistic analysis were the result, according to Lippmann, of the low levels of education and the lack of adequate and digestible information, in light of the intricacies of public issues. For those who are not apathetic, there are two opposing dilemmas of public engagement. First, how to be engaged and yet responsible, given the complexity of public issues and how easy it is to act with inadequate knowledge.
Civic responsibility requires activism and action.
The question for the individual, however, is whether the action is truly reasonable. Policies that discriminate against ethnic or religious minorities, here or abroad, often gain majority support. In fact, many inappropriate public policies are embraced by political leaders precisely because these policies are popular with voting majorities. Without mastery over the substance of policy, people tend to take policy positions to express their self images and emotional orientations. In other words, they embrace positions that resonate emotionally and symbolically - but they may not be policies that contribute most to the public interest.