David McElroy

Why do some ideas limp along for years and then suddenly jump to public acceptance seemingly overnight? Why can the tiny minority opposed to a government languish for decades and then suddenly succeed? Scientists say they have an answer. The magic is in winning 10 percent of the population.

I never seem to be part of majorities. In fact, I typically find myself in a very small minority — sometimes a minority of one. The people I’m attracted to have never been like everybody else, either. Most of all, though, the iconoclastic ideas that I fall in love with are rarely popular with most people. And when you’re in those sorts of minorities, you get accustomed to staying there.

Social scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are now offering hope for the crazy people like me — and maybe you — who believe in ideas that others reject. Their research suggests that you don’t have to win a majority to change a population. You merely have to find 10 percent of the population to agree with you:

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As Hurricane Irene bears down on the East Coast today, I talked with a friend this morning who lives in the path of the storm and asked how things were there.

“I’ve been trying to get everything ready for when the hurricane hits,” she said. “I wasn’t that worried, but then the governor said yesterday that it was going to be even worse than [Hurricane] Isabel in 2003 — and that just scared me to death.”

Indeed, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell told reporters Friday to expect the worst:

“The storm surges, the flooding and the winds will be broader in scope than what we experienced [during Isabel]. So those who lived through that eight years ago in Virginia be prepared. It will likely be worse this time around.”

The television and online news people were keeping people worked up about the storm, too, with constant reports about how bad things might become and what people should do to prepare. Even though there’s absolutely nothing new about how to prepare for a hurricane, the news has been full of scary reports.

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When I saw Ryan Friday evening, I knew he was upset. He was just getting to work, but he looked beaten and angry. He sat down to tell me his story.

Ryan’s a young guy who went to buy a car Friday. He took slightly more than $2,000 to a dealership to buy a car that costs about $10,000. After test driving the car and agreeing to a price, he filled out all the paperwork — only to be told at the end that he didn’t make enough money, even though he works full time and has a good record.

He was hurt and angry. It wasn’t just that he needed a car. He felt that he had done everything he’s been told he’s supposed to do as a young adult in this society, but he’s not finding the opportunities he expected — and he’s hearing “no” often enough that he’s getting frustrated. And his frustration is turning to anger.

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