In the olden days, before TV, Radio, PA systems, and other forms of mass communication, when someone wanted to address a mob in a market place or public street he would stand up on a soap box and shout out to all the people. The soap box offered the advantage of being distinguished both visibly and audibly. So dudes would get up on a soap box and start shouting out their opinions to the gathering crowd. Politics, religion, social issues, business issues or whatever could be addressed by the most eleoquent, or at least the bravest of speakers. It was usually a preachy rant of some sort. "Governor so-n-so is a crook! We should lynch him!" or "I lost my farm to the bank, how long til you lose yours, Bill? Who will feed your family, Ted? Something's gotta be done!" or "Step right up, step right up, my miracle snake oil tonic will cure all your ills!" A soapbox speech was usally accompanied by responses from the crowd of slack-jawed onlookers. Sometimes they asked questions, sometimes they cheered, sometimes they jeered, sometimes they threw stuff. What we need in CP is a button to throw rotten tomatoes at a speaker who dares to get up and speak his mind on the soapbox. Anyway, If unpopular enough a speaker could be hauled or shoved off the soapbox and replaced by a speaker with an opposing view. So then people started getting up on their "high horse" to shout out to the passing throng, and even "shouted their news from the rooftops". Now-adays the closest thing we have are podiums, radio talk shows, infomercials, and web-site forums. The desire to be heard is still the same though. Why not throw away a dime? I throw away ten pennies all the time.
