The other night when I was editing I watched In Search of Shakespeare, a four-part documentary about “the” bard. I was reminded of his political work when the narrator talked about what Shakespeare had to deal with. In his era, plays were put on for the people to sway public opinion of the King or Queen. That important detail is relevant when we see his plays and one that is often missed because his politics don’t resonate with our modern times. When William wrote King Lear or penned descriptions of King Henry, he was tapping into British history to write commentary about his ruler at a time when it was very dangerous to do so. Back then, people were beheaded. He didn’t have the luxury of free speech as we do now.
In our society, we don’t have Shakespeare’s plays to affect our opinions. We have Beck and Limbaugh. Colbert and Stewart. Maher and Moore. Palin and Coulter. We have news sources that provide editorials and little-to-no facts, that get us riled up, that spew falsehoods to upset the common man and woman. Why?
Well, the answer to that question should be self-explanatory but from what I’ve been seeing the past couple of weeks, it’s really not. Rhetoricians play to the crowd in order to get an emotional reaction. They don’t care about reporting the truth because all-too-often the reality of what they’re talking about isn’t that upsetting. They put a spin on something as mundane as prescription birth control to talk about foul temptresses (e.g. women). They put it in terms designed to get our dander up and piss us off. And, in an era of twenty-four hour communication, these efforts work.
In short, people like Limbaugh and Beck are trying to get our attention by manipulating our emotions on a certain topic. (Colbert and Stewart, on the other hand, have filled the role of the Court’s Fool.) This technique is designed to influence public opinion to put pressure on political leaders.
Have you heard an impassioned speech that describes how we must be vigilant before we lose our rights? (Ironic, given what rights we lost with the Patriot Act.) Often, the speeches sound heartfelt and beautiful and appealing to us — because they are. What those rhetoricians are expressing taps into our faith in America as an ideal. If someone from any party believes their rights are being taken away, or their religious freedoms are being trampled upon, there is nothing (and I mean nothing) anyone can say or do to convince them otherwise.
As every rhetorician, politician, and religious leader knows: faith is the one argument that the speaker cannot lose. It doesn’t matter where that faith is placed – country, God, family, love, sparkly vampires, whatever – once you or I believe in something, it’s very hard to talk us down from that ledge because our hearts have taken over. Logic is out the proverbial window because it we believe we are being persecuted on a personal level by a government that has laws in place for millions of people? Then it must be so.
We’ve (myself included) all been “taken in” by the rhetoric because these narratives tell a story that appeals to our emotions. In some cases, it’s hard to think rationally or slow down because at that point we have already punched our fists into the air, called people horrible names, shared the rhetoric because we’re so, so, angry and we want a solution. This is entirely natural. This is because the rhetorician has done their job and he (or she) has done it so well we need to talk about it, share it, and digest it. By doing so, we wind up becoming the rhetorician who is also swaying public opinion and contributing to the drama.
Like plays from centuries past, the teleplay is also intentional. Unlike Shakespeare’s time, however, our rhetoricians don’t hide behind stage sets and elaborate costumes. We think what they’re doing is real because they present themselves as the truth or non-fiction. Spin, regardless of what you may think, is fiction. It is, because it takes a mundane fact (or series of them) and blows a topic way, way out of proportion to tell a story. This, to be blunt, is a form of reality television. Is your life that dramatic and compelling to watch? Now add a camera and a script. See what happens when viewers and advertising dollars are at stake.
Again, rhetoricians have a job to do and often they don’t believe what they’re saying. Their job is to sway how we feel on a topic in the hopes that the policy makers will be affected by what we think and we will show our support by how we vote. The more outrageous they get, the more they tap into bullying tactics, the greater the reaction they’re shooting for. Sometimes, they do this to distract us from an issue we should be upset about; other times, to make sure their names are recognized and shared and they continue to have listeners and viewers.
Truthfully, the only way to get to the bottom of what’s happening is to become involved on a level where you can affect the policies made. This, quite frankly, is why a lot of the conservative rhetoric is happening now because that base is the one who not only votes, but donates to campaigns, too. Pissed off what Stewart or Maher or Limbaugh or Beck said? Stop watching. Stop talking about it. Stop giving them the reaction they want and vote what you believe or get involved more heavily on the policy-making side. It’s that simple.
However you look at it: the crowd has power and every writer – reporter, novelist, playwright, scriptwriter, editor, speechwriter – knows that. The King has very little power. The crowd, made up of readers and listeners and viewers, has it all because what leaders fear is not the crowd, but the angry mob. Though ignoring the crowd has its advantages, too, there’s no mistaking the power of like-minded people.
Mood: Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: I shall consume mass quantities of rocket fuel. NOM NOM NOM.
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Housework, rolling dice, and editing.
Yesterday’s Projects: Several
In My Ears: Beyond the Wasteland, Final Fantasy VII
Game Last Played: Grepolis
Movie Last Viewed: Hrmmm…
Book Last Read: Double hrmmm…
Latest Artistic Project: Crystal cluster bracelet in silver
Latest Release: Strange, Dead Love for Vampire: the Requiem
