by Rick Baker
On Sep 26, 2016
While watching some of the U.S. Presidential "news coverage" a few things came to mind...
Talk is Cheap. That's a saying, which carries some wisdom. Verbal messages can provide immediate gratification to audiences. And that gratification may carry through to election day. On the other hand, as George H.W. Bush found out the hard way, people do more than "read your lips"…not everybody…not all the time…but, many people grasp the messages presented to them and cling to them with the intent of holding political leaders accountable to their words.
When you are a politician - even if people don't hold you accountable, chances are very good the media will…sooner or later…probably sooner…and probably with a vengeance.
During recent decades, we have experienced two trends:
- The media is digging deeper into politicians’ personal and career lives, going to extremes such as pulling paparazzi on politicians’ family members. No politician is protected from the media bulldogs…not even the U.S. President.
- Politicians are becoming increasingly more adventuresome, doing bizarre things and taking [what most people would describe as] absolutely outrageous chances. Political leaders’ ‘violations’ range from bigoted slurs to abuse of power and privilege.
What a combination: increased media scrutiny coupled with leaders behaving outrageously.
Something’s got to give.
One way or another, some day, something will give.
Here’s a thought – Wouldn’t it be nice if leaders decide to give up the outrageous behavior. Then they could concentrate on productive behavior, the media could provide more-positive reporting, and we could focus our attention on more-constructive news and more-valuable knowledge.