At the heart of public opinion lie opinion leaders. These are individuals who help portions of the public who are inclined to certain beliefs to crystalize those beliefs. They also help justify those beliefs so people feel more comfortable sharing them. If successful, otherwise latent movements can grow in influence.
The recent rise of tea parties seems a great recent example. This video clip shows a guy helping a crowd to clarify their position regarding Obama and recent changes in governmental policy -- sort of anyway. Judging from the back and forth regarding burning college books, I'm beginning to believe that the movement could spill off in unforeseen directions. It could get ugly.
