Most of my students at Kennesaw State University understand it. If nowhere else, they learn it in the process of dating. Almost all discover that what they hear on first dates may not be confirmed later on. Too often what people say about themselves does not match the way they act when they are no longer trying to impress.
I too have seen this simple truth demonstrated when hiring new faculty. Newly minted Ph.D.’s come in bright eyed and bushy tailed prepared to be exactly what our department is looking for. Of course, they can teach the courses we require. Moreover they are hard workers who are respectful colleagues, that is, until they feel comfortable in their jobs.
As even teenagers understand: Words are cheap. Anyone can manipulate almost anybody by telling them what they would like to hear. Consequently, most of us also monitor the actions of others. When important issues are at stake we are more impressed by deeds than self-serving promises.
So why isn’t this true in politics? Why do so many people place their confidence in political speeches clearly intended to influence how they think and vote? Can’t they tell the difference when events do not turn out as expected?
As an illustration I offer the strange case of Coolidge versus Roosevelt. Calvin Coolidge has almost been forgotten. During the nineteen-twenties, he was very popular because his presidency was a time of plenty and unbridled optimism. Nevertheless, Will Rogers famously said of him that he did nothing, but that was what people wanted done.
This, however, is unfair. Coolidge presided over a roaring economy because he did the right things. He lowered taxes and reduced government expenditures; hence the private sector took off. Contemporary liberals ridicule him for saying that the business of America was business, but during his administration business was so robust that the unemployment rate was 1.8 %.
Coolidge’s problem was that he was not very articulate. Universally referred to as Silent Cal, making inspirational speeches was not his forte. This defect was shortly to be rectified by one of his successors, namely Franklin Roosevelt. If nothing else, Roosevelt was known for his eloquent fireside chats. These radio conversations were so well received that people stayed home to hear them.
The payoff was that Roosevelt became a national hero. He was regarded as rescuing the nation from the Great Depression, although he did no such thing. Shortly after he was elected the unemployment rate stood at nearly 25 %, whereas a decade later it stubbornly remained at almost 20 %.
So why did Roosevelt do so well in the public estimation? A major reason had to do with his ability to use words. By comparison, Coolidge’s taciturnity helped sink into near anonymity. With few stem-winding speeches to his credit, people had little left to hang his reputation on. Stirring phases like “we have nothing to fear, but fear itself” were not there in his legacy to ring in the public imagination, as was the case for Roosevelt.
Today we are blessed with another gifted orator for President. Barack Obama too has a way with words he has been able to use to impress the electorate. But where are his deeds? Where is the reduction in the unemployment rate? Obama promised it would never rise above 8 %, yet it has been higher that this for most of his term in office.
Now, given the heated debates over the deficit crisis, we are being treated to a blizzard of compelling rhetoric. We are being told, for instance, that people must all bear the load for fixing the problem. The rich must, therefore, pay “their fair share.” Never mind that they already pay upwards of 80 % of income taxes, while almost half of Americans pay nothing.
So what is a fair share? Don’t count on Obama to verbalize the actual distribution of revenue contributions. This would interfere with his ability to use words to demonize the rich. Nor can we expect him to deliver a concrete budget proposal. This too would hinder his ability to pose as the conciliatory adult who is above the fray.
When, therefore, will some people realize that all he is offering is honeyed words? When will they stop to check into his deeds? If they do not, it is a safe bet he will continue to deliver high unemployment and national bankruptcy.
Melvyn L. Fein. Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
Kennesaw State University
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