Subjectivity,Legitimacy,and Discourse Power:A Historical Survey and Discourse Analysis of"Mother of Public Opinion"
"The mother of public opinion"can be traced back to Liang Qichao's"The Mother of Public Opinion and the Servant of Public Opinion",which refers to politicians who represent,guide or create public opinion.The proposal of"the mother of public opinion"is rooted in a certain historical context,and is insepa-rable from Liang Qichao's own public opinion thoughts and discourse habits.Modern intellectuals have demon-strated the legitimacy of the"mother of public opinion"from three levels of rationality,emotion,and value.The"mother of public opinion"is a prop for traditional literati to achieve their"imagination of fame"and strive for discourse power after their transformation into modern political theorists.It also reflects the complex mental-ity of intellectual elites and the contradiction of modern enlightenment in the process of modern public opinion transformation.
The mother of public opinionIntellectual elitesThe subject of public opinionDiscourse power