Tipping Point: The law of the few

Tipping Point

The message that I took away from the “Law of the Few” is that a few people can have a huge influence over the masses, but that is only if the few are already influential people. The reason that they have this type of influences is also because there are so few of them. In social psychology there is a theory that states that for a group to be exclusive the number of members within that group must stay small, about five members or less. The reason for this is that if a group is that small it means that not everyone can get into that group which is what gives that group its appeal. Another factor that plays a part in the groups influences is how hard you have to work to be apart of that group. An example of this would be a sorority where potential rushes are put through a grilling initiation processes. Once it is over the new members fell a since of belonging and are more connected to the other members because of the experience. The few existing members pick and choice from the masses and make judgments on who is let into their exclusive club. A broader example is the influence that celebrities have on society. They are used to endorse products, give public service announcements, and promote events. Celebrities only make up less than two percent of the population which is one of the reasons why they have influence. The other reasons are their wealth, and the way that we perceive their lifestyle as being better than our own. It is also the fact that becoming famous is not that easy of a thing to do. A reality T.V. participant is more likely to become infamous than famous. However an actor like Brad Pitt or an actress like Julia Roberts have been in several movies and have been rewarded for their talent. The odd trend however is that the newer celebrities the younger ones are the ones which the most influence. They are the ones endorsing newer products. Katy Perry has replaced Jessica Simpson as the female on the Proactive acne commercials. The reason is obvious Katy Perry is in the media more because of her recent albums and television appearances. The more a celebrity is seen the more famous they are which means they have more influence at that moment.

            The law of the few is also seen when it comes to government. There are only a handful of government officials that make the decision for the masses. Although they are put into power by the larger majority voting for them, but once they are in that position there are no gaurontess as to what they will do with that power. These officials can say one thing during their campaign and once elected go in a totally different direction. The masses would have to assemble and work together to hopefully get that person out of office, but even with that they really have to work hard to have any influence over that because they voted that person into office. Another issue with the few having as much control as our state and national government is that a lot of what they do goes on behind closed doors which the public has little to no access to. Also the citizens that are active in finding this information out the “mavens” often have no one to aid them in making the corruption public so that it can be exposed and changed. But that would take the time of the masses to investigate these issues and to work together to change the problems. It would also require extra work to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Work and Time are two things that Americans are not will to put forth or to give, which is why our system remains the way that it is. There are a few people who vote and a few that follow what goes on after wards but it tends to stop there. It is time for the few in power to be held accountable by the masses and maybe when that happens there will be change until then nothing will ever change.