"[20][21], In the months leading up to Nixon's 1969 speech, his vice-president Spiro T. Agnew said on May 9, "It is time for America's silent majority to stand up for its rights, and let us remember the American majority includes every minority. This concept heavily influenced Nixon's presidential campaign in 1968. Irony in Literature: Definition & Examples | SuperSummary Looking at the . Silent majority definition, the U.S. citizens who supported President Nixon's policies but who were not politically vocal, outspoken, or active: considered by him to constitute a majority. ", http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/Archives/JFKPP-030-005.aspx, "Literary Vices, with Rudolph Delson: Richard Nixon's 'Six Crises', "Richard Nixon's Political Hinterland: The Shadows of JFK and Charles de Gaulle", "The Nixon Tapes Unleashed Manipulative Master Politician", "Kennedy, Muskie, Jackson Eyed for Nixon Dirty Tricks in '71", Jean Charest interpelle la majorit silencieuse, "Scottish independence: Who is Scotland's 'silent majority'? of white and yellow people how ironic is that should I consider the same but like the silent majority they rarely speak up against what they know is wrong. The idea of an EU army idea has been around since the days of Churchill and seems to be revived every decade. silent majority If you believe that, in society or in a particular group, the opinions of most people are very different from the opinions that are most often heard in public, you can refer to these people as the silent majority. But what is dramatic irony and how does it work? The country had been involved in the Vietnam War for several years and was passionately unpopular with the American people. lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. what is ironic about the term silent majority . A silent majority is a large group of people who support something, but choose not to express their opinions publicly. He is a silent majority stand-in who revels in bombast. - Definition & Examples, The Silent Majority: Definition & Concept, What Is Civic Nationalism? Silent majority Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com Nixon was able to define ''them'' as the liberal contingent who were against the war and were criticizing America itself. what is ironic about the term silent majority. Synonyms: sarcastic, dry, sharp, acid More Synonyms of ironic 2. adjective