Five months into 2010, America is still in the eye of a perfect storm of fear that blew across the country in 2009.
There were angry town hall meetings this past summer, demonstrations on the Mall in Washington and vitriolic attacks from both Republicans and Democrats on the floor of the House of Representatives. There was the desecration of sacred Democratic ground in Massachusetts in the run-off to replace Sen. Kennedy, and the growing power of the Tea Party evident in Sen. Bob Bennett's primary loss in Utah and Rand Paul's primary win in Kentucky.
Across the country, fear has taken root as fast as Scott's Quick fix grass seed. And now, the human and ecological disaster in the Gulf is certain to ignite a new level of anger and fear.
For months, political pundits and commentators have proffered countless diagnoses of what is causing this anger that has taken civility hostage, all the while acting surprised. But anger is only the symptom. The cause is much deeper and more disturbing.
It is simply fear.
Fear of losing something we have. Fear of not getting something we want. Fear that comes from lack of security. Fear that comes from uncertainty about the future. Everywhere Americans turn there is reason for fear: jobs, homes, mortgages, health insurance, retirement plans, even homeland security.
Let's examine some facts:
Regardless of your political persuasion, there are plenty of reasons to be fearful. The American dream and promises are under siege and the very fabric of America is being eaten away by fear. So no one should be surprised what has happened and what will happen.
So we begin any major debate with both political parties knowing that fear is the trump card. Slap fear on the table, it takes the kitty.
Unfortunately, fear is such a powerful emotion -- the most powerful of all -- that it trumps facts. Though emotion often trumps rationality in political debates, fear exacerbates the problem. And with rampant fear comes the rampant opportunism from politicians on both sides of the spectrum to use fear to try and win! We have seen the power of fear to engage and enrage pockets of the population and move them to action.
The health reform tea parties that turned into a movement were driven by fear of a government takeover of health care. And every political debate today -- from financial regulatory reform to judicial nominations to cap and trade -- are dominated by fear-based arguments.
Of course, the biggest ladle in the cauldron of fear and anger is the one that the media uses to stir our collective pot. They battle for our attention with a new incident or outrageous statement every few hours, if not minutes. Just like the politicians, the media often has little interest in the facts. Facts often get in the way of controversy. But negative emotions attract viewers. Railing against Fox News, MSNBC, the New York Times the Wall Street Journal, the Democratic or Republican parties to name just a few, drives readership and viewers. And with most of the big media outlets owned by conglomerates and the pressure on yearly bottom-line results, this is to be expected. Profits trump all; emotions particularly fear can drive profits.
Unfortunately, in politics and the press, using fear works. Political parties gain policy victories by trotting out their best fear-based arguments. But these victories are Pyrrhic at best. For every time our politicians and our media use these exaggerated fear-based arguments, they further poison the well of political discourse. Fear-based arguments do drive opposition to policies but they also drive up the negatives of those who make the arguments.
Long ago, our basic institutions lost the trust of a majority of the American people. We now live in an environment where trust in our institutions is at or near its lowest point in history.
Yet we still look to our elected and appointed leaders for the cure. Despite our mistrust of government institutions, we constantly seek answers from the very people we mistrust. And we accept information as fact from a media that the majority of us do not trust. A little ironic, perhaps, irrational, most definitely, that those we distrust the most -- government and the media -- are able to heighten and sustain our fears. Dangerous too!
In practical terms, the increased use of these arguments has also trained the public to think differently about political debate. We have become a country that is fearful of losing anything we have, even if doing so might mean gaining something better. We have been trained to focus on the worst-case scenario rather than a reasonable outcome. And most importantly, we have been conditioned to reject trade-offs and compromise if it means giving up anything we currently possess. Sadly, the loss of trust now extends beyond politics and into virtually every aspect of our lives. We have lost faith in business, we have greater doubts about religion and we are more skeptical of others in our personal relationships.
If fear is the disease, what is the cure? The pundits would argue it is greater civility. They hearken back to a day when politicians were friends with disagreements rather than sworn enemies. But civility will only get us so far. If we disagree respectfully, but still use fear to frame our political debates, we will have a friendly Congress that accomplishes nothing yet still inflames the negative passions of the public.
Civility will get us nowhere if our politicians cannot recognize the importance of rebuilding the trust that so much fear-based politics has eviscerated. Mutual respect is insufficient to move this country forward. It's a start. But it isn't enough. Trust must be rebuilt, but rebuilding trust is hard work.
Many corporations have recognized the importance of trust in their relationships with their customers. Though trust of corporations is still very low, there are some very positive examples of companies that have learned that trust is an essential ingredient to success in today's world. These companies recognized that it is no longer enough to just sell products. They have discovered that more and more consumers care about the character of the organizations with which they do business. These companies also recognized that regulation, taxation and legislation often happen to companies that lose the trust of the public. And so they have changed the way they operate. It isn't always easy, and it often requires companies to trade-off short-term profits for longer-term relationships. But they have come to know it is essential.
Unfortunately, what politicians must do to rebuild trust is also what many politicians themselves fear the most: truth and transparency. They fear truth because the truth is never as simple and easy as the reality each party likes to create. They fear transparency because it requires them to tell voters and pundits and the media that they are fallible and so are their policies.
Our elected officials can begin to rebuild trust by their admission that they cannot solve all our problems. In fact, at best, they can only occasionally prod solutions. We do not vote for someone to rob us of our right to know the facts and to decide what to do about them.
How many times has a pilot of a delayed airplane gotten on the intercom and declared that everything is okay and that takeoff is just a few minutes away when they know the replacement part is in a city a thousand miles away and won't be delivered for several hours? If the pilot just told the truth -- gave the passengers the facts -- frustration and impatience would not evaporate, but the outrage would. People know when they're being lied to. So many of our leaders think that they were elected to save us from the facts. They are not our moral judges or guardians, however painful and disturbing the facts may be.
And our leaders must try admitting fallibility every so often rather than holding onto rigid dogmas and often divisive philosophies. It would be a relief if they spoke more facts than reelection platitudes. What they need to find -- and what the public must help to convince them of -- is that we can take it. What they will find, is that the leap of faith to truthfulness can pay dividends -- for themselves and for the institutions they represent. But then that is probably naïve -- no, it is.
In our second piece, to be posted next week, we will explore the use of fear-based and trust-based communication and their respective consequences.
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Peter V. Emerson is the founding partner of Emerson Associates International, a company providing political and communications strategies to political parties, governments, corporations and NGOs and a Scholar in Residence, Kirkland House, Harvard College and a Visiting Research Fellow, King's College London.
Michael Maslansky is author of the new book, The Language of Trust: Selling Ideas in a World of Skeptics and CEO of maslansky luntz + partners, a language strategy and research consultancy.
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Partisan gridlock in Washington is precisely what the voters put in every day on the left and right, and until we stop trying to beat our opponents into submission, we will never have a government which actually proposes effective solutions.
I couldn’t agree more with your observation that “vehemently attacking the perceived injustices may grant us momentary boost,†but the cost is too high.
JD
Your point that “people are afraid and angry and should be†is exactly the focus of our piece. There is much to be afraid of. But too, giving into fear and anger diminishes one’s power. So Michael and I would both hope people could take back some of their individual power and diminish their own internal state of fear and anger.
I wish those corporations that have remade themselves would have been named, because I really haven't noticed any, and I'm not sure I will be convinced until some corporate heads fire all their lobbyists and start telling government how the economy could be restructured so that employees and the environment can win, too. You know, win-win.
I would summarize how government needs to change slightly differently -- it needs humility. It needs the kind of humility that says we're going to try this, here's how we're going to monitor it, don't expect it to be easy, don't expect it to work if nobody steps up and plays their part, and here's what we're going to do if it doesn't work -- like maybe raising taxes on the top 5% if the top 5% don't create more jobs than they destroy. A 5 or 10 year plan would have a calming effect on me.
In a separate piece, my co‑author, Michael, is going to report on the corporations that have realized that establishing trust with their customers is essential to not only survival, but sustainability.
I think the vast majority of Americans would like to see a return of civility in not only politics, but their daily lives. And of course our premise is that there is no incentive for the major news networks to report on civility: confrontation creates drama, which increases ratings and revenues.
Yes, it’s a hell of a time to be president.
American's may not understand exactly or be able to articulate the facts behind what is happening, but they are intuitively right when they feel fear, and anxiety and uncertainty. This nation is on the path of a fundamental economic paradigm shift. We are entering the 'Pay the Piper' phase of American history, and it is going to be very painful and challenging to many or most Americans.
The realities of our debt (Federal, States, cities, school districts, households, etc...) is that America is fundamentally bankrupt on so many levels, and with globalization, and an increasingly aware, educated, and competitive world, we are simply not in a strong position.
America is heading into deep water. There are going to be monumental adjustments in life style and consciousness ahead for us. Going to be positive in many ways, but it is going to rock many lives in the process.
America is a constantly evolving entity. We are in charge of what we will become. Right now we are glibly handing the car keys to the special interests and globalists. We are choosing our path America, and as long as they keep us arguing Red/Blue, Left/ Right, Gay/Straight they have us right where they want us. Blind, ignorant, barefoot, and pregnant.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM NOW! OR ELSE!
I agree that campaign finance reform is essential. In fact, Senator Durbin has introduced a bill that would make sweeping changes in the way we fund our elections. So I encourage you to support his and the co‑sponsors’ legislative efforts.
But Michael and I wanted to focus on how other institutions, especially the news media, uses fear to increase their ratings and revenues.
It’s also a natural safety feature. Fear of what you don’t understand may well prevent you from picking up a snake, to examine it more closely. Yet the more you know about snakes, the less you may fear them. Or at the very least, appreciate the difference between those that can’t harm you and those that can. Information is the key to conquering fear.
I recall watching someone being brought face to face with their dread of serpents. Just touching a hose inside a curtained box convinced them it was a reptile. When shown that it wasn’t and asked what a snake felt like, they replied slimy. After being encouraged to actually touch one they were surprised to find it nothing like they had imagined. So getting someone to put their perceptions to the test, can have a dramatic effect.
“Profits trump allâ€
That’s why the interweb is so important. The meek may call the mighty to account. And attempting to suppress it simply makes their problem worse.
“what is the cureâ€
The solution is encapsulated by those same four words. It constitutes a question. Only those who know they are wrong or who suspect that they are wrong, fear them.
“the reality each party likes to createâ€
No one can create reality. But anyone can create an erroneous interpretation of it.
My experience is that when I am ignorant, I have a greater capacity to generate fear than when I am well informed. So ignorance may well in fact be one of the root causes of fear.
I'm working as a self-employed administrative professional. My salary is slightly above minimum wage. Given that my unemployment benefits expired last year I consider myself better off now than I was then.
However, when all expenses are paid I'm left with $50 a month to put into my savings. That's in a good month when I've had four weeks of full-time work (40 hours or more per week).
I want to believe that by 2014 my situation will improve.
However, if taxes go up and the mandated health insurance is too expensive and I do not have a job making more money I see nothing but a downward slide to my life.
And to think that on top of all of that the government may penalize me because I won't be able to spend my last $50-75 a month on insurance is the ultimate slap in the face. This is why I'm looking at the Democrats the way I looked at the Republicans long before the current administration took office.
I see all politicians as political animals. They are chameleons driven first and foremost by self-interest.
Fear is the symptom, not the disease. The disease is what it has always been: human greed for power, prestige, and wealth at the expense of others.
You can preach and teach "trust-building" techniques until you're blue in the face ( and may indeed ameliorate the symptoms somewhat), but that's not the same as addressing the very complex problem of the primary disease itself. Indeed, some may say that using "trust-building" techniques to sell products or politicians is almost as cynical as fear-mongering to sell the same.
From my experience, the human drive or greed for power, prestige, and wealth has at its root fears. Fear of not having enough, fear of not getting what I want, fear of losing everything I have, fear of someone else having more than I have. And the terrible misperception that power, prestige and wealth will make me happy.
"Of course, the biggest ladle in the cauldron of fear and anger is the one that the media uses to stir our collective pot. They battle for our attention with a new incident or outrageous statement every few hours, if not minutes. Just like the politicians, the media often has little interest in the facts."
I would like the media to make THIS the topic more often. I am sure there there would be great interest.
We couldn’t agree more that “politicians, the media often has little interest in the facts.†That was the central theme of our piece, but alas we’re not certain of how to increase ratings and revenues in the media with positive and civil stories. Any ideas?
"Never underestimate the stupidity of the American voter."
No they don't. If these coporations had an ounce of trust in their relationships with their customers, they wouldn't be doing all they can to stifle government oversight that is necessary to protect human lives and preserve the environment.
The fact is, these powerful corporations do not have the best interests of the American people in mind, nor do they care one iota that they are undermining democracy itself. It's all about the money. The very fact that these corporations are willing to spend millions of dollars to lobbying firms who specialize in "communications strategies" rather than simply building a trust with the public through their actions is ample evidence of what these corporations think about their customers and the value of trust.
But Michael and I would just like to clarify that neither of us are “corporate lobbyists.†Although both of us have worked for corporations, neither of us have lobbied on their behalf. In fact, it is our individual experience that some corporations have recognized that trust building is essential to sustainability.
My guess? It would sink like a stone because no one wants to hear the "truth" that exposes their pre-judgements that Obama is a "socialist, communist, racist, nazi without emotion", Bush is a "right-wing, big oil defender, dummy". The sex portions might do well, especially if there is videotape.
Seriously, a good article, but I don't see how to escape from the fear promoters. The comments I just read reinforce how well the fear-mongers have done their job (including mine, no doubt).
Fair Winds