The General Public

The general public plays in the middle. By definition they show no extreme sentiments, passion nor do they get agitated. They do not complain when someone professes to speak on their behalf. The general public has no original ideas or principles it is willing to stand behind and stamp its name on it. The general public will not set fire to SUVs or bomb abortion clinics. The general public does not think much about Tibet or China and will not come out to protest the Olympic Torch run.

Only the extremists find it preferable to ignore their day to day responsibilities and take on what they consider to be higher goals.

So anyone can describe their feelings and ideas in ways that suit them. Politicians do. Take for instance the Olympic protests and the Chinese Government's response. (from NYTimes)

The news conference was apparently intended to address Sunday’s protests in London. Ms. Wang blamed the disruptions in London on a “few Tibet separatists” and described their actions as the work of saboteurs. She said Beijing’s Olympic organizers “strongly condemned” the Tibetan protesters.

“The general public is very angry at this sabotage by a few separatists,” she said. “During the torch relay, we met with some disturbances, but we believe that all the peace-loving people in the world will support the torch relay.”

Mr. Wang is correct in describing the protesters but he claimed to represent the general public, describing them as "very angry".

The general public does not care.