Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Image Versus Substance and its Affect on American Politics

As you turn off the TV after having just finished listening to a presidential debate, you reflect on what just happened. Who won the debate in your mind? Was it the young, energetic man, or the elderly prisoner of war, who can no longer lift his arms above his head? If you were like many Americans, you would say that the younger man won. But when asked why, you would have no valid answer. A major problem in our American culture is that too much emphasis is placed on the image of an individual, rather than their substance. Throughout this essay, I will show you the negative aspects of this cultural trend and attempt to convince you that this trend is bad for our country.

If you hadn’t already guessed, in the previous paragraph I am referring to the 2008 Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. Obama is African American, relatively young (especially when compared with his opponent) and brought many people the hope of change. McCain is white, a Vietnam War Vet and Prisoner of War, who can no longer raise his arms above his head due to war-time injuries and promises to fight corruption. Not only did their appearances vary greatly, but their views on government varied greatly as well. Obama is liberal and talked about hope and change without giving specifics on how he was going to accomplish his goals. McCain is conservative and talked of reform and ending government corruption. In debates, Obama gave fluent answers that raised crowds to their feet, cheering, yet he never answered the questions. McCain, on the other hand, didn’t mince words and got right to the point. He clearly answered the questions and received a smaller applause.

When comparing the two candidates by what they said, neglecting “how” they said it, McCain appeared to make the better leader. Yet, when the average person was asked who won the debates, they most likely would say, “Obama, because he is such a great speaker.” In reality, this person and many others didn’t actually listen to what was being said. They heard, but did not mentally process the information to make their decision. They let their feelings get in the way and voted for the image, rather than the substance. When a friend of mine was asked who he wanted to win the presidency, he said “Obama, because he is cool.”

This trend of image over substance did not start in politics, nor is it a new occurrence in politics. Going as far back to the presidential election between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, we can see where image began to trump substance in politics. Ever since the TV set was introduced into popular culture, the importance of image to the American people has increased dramatically. However, during this last election, the image over substance trend was taken to new heights. Presidential candidate Barack Obama was treated as a celebrity by the media; beginning the day he announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination. Instead of focusing on the misdeeds and antics of Britney Spears, etc., the media quickly shifted its attention and began to follow Obama on his campaign tours. The networks began to have specials on the candidate’s life, family and his career. He became more than a presidential candidate; with the media’s help, he turned into a celebrity. Barrack Obama’s transformation from presidential candidate to celebrity played right into the American culture’s obsession with celebrities. Instead of watching E! News or another celebrity gossip show, millions of Americans began to follow their new favorite celebrity in the news. So why would this be bad for our country?

The reason the convergence of celebrity and politician is a bad thing for our country is unclear to many. Many believe it is a good idea to have a president who is popular with both the American people and those of foreign countries. In some instances this could be true, but a president should not be popular simply because he has been made into a celebrity. He should be popular for his accomplishments, not because he is the first African-American president. The American people have been “blinded” by their own obsession with celebrities. We vote for the image, not the man. Instead of looking at the issues and coming to a decision based on who would be a better leader for our country, we let our country and ourselves down by voting for the individual that looks good and makes history. Obama is an example of politicians who use “the tradecraft of entertainment to win office and stay there”(Anderson, 1998, para.4).

In conclusion, we have looked at the cultural trend that has put image over substance and have discovered that this practice is deeply rooted in our culture. With the introduction of the television, our culture has become obsessed with almost everything it feeds us. In recent years this obsession seems to be getting worse. We no longer simply favor those who have a more pleasing image; we practically worship those whose images please us. The types of people we obsess over has changed too. Idolizing movie stars and athletes has been a common practice for decades, but we have now moved on to idolizing politicians; not because they are worthy of our admiration, but because they and others have erected an image that dwarfs the actual substance of the individuals themselves. Image has trumped substance; we just want to be entertained. Gabler was right when he called America the “Republic of Entertainment” (Gabler, 1998, 22).

Refrences

Andersen, K. (1998, February 16). Entertainer-in-chief. The New Yorker Magazine. Retrieved March 10, 2009, from http://kurtandersen.com/journalism/nyker/nyker061698entertainer.html

Gabler, N. (1998). Life: The movie (22). New York: Vintage Books.

No comments: