Public opinion, in its raw state, gushes out in the immemorial form of the mob's fear. It is piped into central factories, and there it is flavoured and colored and put into cans.
Interpretation
This quote critiques how public opinion is formed and manipulated, likening it to a processed product.
H. L. Mencken comments on the nature of public opinion, suggesting that it often arises from irrational fears and is subsequently refined and altered by societal forces, much like a factory processes raw materials into consumer goods. He implies that the authentic voice of the public is overshadowed by this manipulation, raising questions about the validity and authenticity of what is perceived as 'public opinion.'
In practice
In a speech about media influence, one might say, 'As H. L. Mencken pointed out, public opinion can often be manipulated rather than genuinely formed.'
I know a good many men of great learning-that is, men born with an extraordinary eagerness and capacity to acquire knowledge. One and all, they tell me that they can't recall learning anything of any value in school. All that schoolmasters managed to accomplish with them was to test and determine the amount of knowledge that they had already acquired independently-and not infrequently the determination was made clumsily and inaccurately.
It takes a long while for a naturally trustful person to reconcile himself to the idea that after all God will not help him
It is the theory of all modern civilized governments that they protect and foster the liberty of the citizen; it is the practice of all of them to limit its exercise, and sometimes very narrowly.
The central belief of every moron is that he is the victim of a mysterious conspiracy against his common rights and true deserts.
The cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy.
It is my conviction that no normal man ever fell in love, within the ordinary meaning of the term, after the age of thirty.
I must create a system, or be enslav'd by another man's.
Oppression that is clearly inexorable and invincible does not give rise to revolt but to submission.
When I circled the moon and looked back at Earth, my outlook on life and my viewpoint of Earth changed... Earth is a spaceship, just like Apollo - and just like Apollo, the crew must learn to live and work together. We must learn to manage the resources of this world with new imagination.
The spiritual journey is one of continuous learning and purification. When you know this, you become humble.
In my afternoon walk I would fain forget all my morning occupations and my obligations to society.
Women are the most denigrated social group in the Soviet Union. The idea of women's emancipation is only a slogan in - but also, I should say, in many places outside - the Soviet Union. But especially in the militaristic Soviet society, people only thought of life in terms of struggle and the workers' toil.
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