The homosexual is not public. He’s a deviant who needs to be driven into the closet. He will be denied medical care.

The artist is not public. He’s just an inconsiderate lout who needs to be taught not to offend anyone’s sensibilities. He will be mobbed.

The missionary is not public. He’s an evil do-gooder who lures innocent illiterates from their true religion by promising them food, clothing, education & dignity. He will be slaughtered.

The immigrant is not public. He is an invader who has come to corrupt culture by talking, dressing & behaving differently. He will be looted.

The youth are not public. They are just wastrels of voting age who are abandoning the lifestyle we have championed for 5000 years. They will be jailed.

The rich are not public. They are merely achievers who use their wealth to wallow in decadence and luxury. They will be curbed.

The poor are not public. They are ignorant animals who will be kept in poverty so that their servility is permanent. They will be exploited.

Who then is the public? In whose name are the laws of our land made? Whose good do they mean when they talk of the ‘greater good’?

The corrupt. The fanatic. The bigot. The intolerant. The powerful. The numerous. The mob.

Yup, it makes sense. The mob is the majority. And democracy, they say, is rule by the majority.