Yusuke Umezawa: Is Popularity Justice?

"If the best-selling things are the best things, then the most delicious ramen in the world is cup ramen." This is a quote often seen online, attributed to a famous musician. While the source is unknown, what is noteworthy is that a significant number of people perceive this statement as a "persuasive wise saying."

I myself have dedicated a considerable portion of my life to things that are consistently "unpopular," such as American football, brutal death metal, and the history of political thought. The ramen mentioned at the beginning was also a part of my youth. During high school, after American football practice in the summer, I would eat ramen at Hiyoura almost every day (by the way, I also love cup ramen). However, even I do not have as much confidence in my palate for judging the taste of ramen as a critic who eats it 365 days a year. When looking for a new ramen shop, I refer to the opinions of ramen critics rather than someone who only eats ramen once a year. This is because I believe there are qualitative differences in "opinions."

However, in the political system of "democracy" that we have adopted, every opinion is counted as the same "single vote." While democracy realizes the important value of "political equality," it may sacrifice another important value: "expert knowledge." Based on this concern, I recently published a book titled "Doubting Democracy: Lectures on Political Thought for Thinking for Yourself" (Chikuma Shinsho, 2024).

Regardless of the method, elections in democratic countries generally result in the victory of whoever secures the most votes. This principle is not limited to the institutional dimension but can also be found in social trends. The idea that whatever everyone thinks is "good," or whatever anyone can understand the value of, is indeed the "good thing." The musician's words mentioned earlier expressed a sense of discomfort toward these values.

A "university" is a base of resistance against such societal tendencies. Just as coffee begins to taste good when one becomes an adult, there are many things in the world that require a bit of effort or growth to understand their value. I feel happy now to be involved in helping people discover the value and charm of new fields—in helping them "grow" in that sense.