Fear, Slander, and the Election

When reading about fear in Brandwashed, my mind couldn’t help but conjure up clips of campaign ads and portions of the recent political debates, as scare tactics are in rampant use by both campaigns. As Michael Fanselow states, “Fear is far, far more powerful than reason.” Campaign managers recognize this power and exploit it to the fullest. Rarely does a campaign ad forfeit the chance to paint a picture for voters of just how bad America will look if the opposition is elected. In fact, many ads do not even mention or talk up the candidate they are supporting, and the entire ad is devoted to degrading the opposition. Take this ad for example.

“Romney economics. It didn’t work then. And it won’t work now.” Not a single comment is made about Obama’s ticket, what he stands for, or what he can offer America. Why should it? Doing so would be using reason to persuade voters; campaigners evoke a much more favorable response through fear.  That’s why Romney can’t afford to simply promote himself.

“Because we can’t afford another four years like the last four years.” He asks for a vote based on fear of what would happen if Obama were reelected.

Kim White tells us that when we are exposed to fear, we “think carefully about the responses proposed in these messages, then follow the advice of the persuasive message in an attempt to neutralize the danger.” We, as humans, seek security in every aspect of life. We want job and financial security so that ultimately our future is secure. We buy health, car, and home insurance and install security systems in our homes. We have the innate desire as humans to feel safe and secure. The government plays a large role in satisfying this desire for Americans. Knowing this, campaigners toy with voter’s fears by suggesting how horribly insecure their future will be were the opposition to be elected. This results in ruthless slander and competition for who can make the other look scarier to America. In fact, this was addressed in the vice presidential debate just last week. The moderator read a quote from a soldier who is dismayed by the atmosphere of election season, specifically mentioning the negative campaign ads that continuously “tear each other down instead of building each other up.” Biden admits both sides “say the most scurrilous things about the other candidate- it’s an abomination.” Paul Ryan appropriately points out the nature of many campaigns by actually quoting Obama, “If you don’t have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare voters. If you don’t have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.” Ironically, just seconds after quoting this, Ryan proceeds to paint Obama in a negative light as someone whose leadership will be detrimental to America. 

Why is it that candidates continuously spend more energy (and breath and time and money) on degrading their opponents rather than building their own case? We have seen that recognizing fear as a powerful tool is one reason. Perhaps the idea of insecurity is another. Now, I would not claim that the candidates personally feel insecure and seek confidence by tearing down their opponent. However, as humans, we do gauge our sense of “security” through relation with others. Insecurities arise if we see others who are a step ahead of us. Similarly, we feel more secure in our standing if we are better off than the person next to us. To no surprise, our presidential candidates play into this. They seek to present themselves as the more secure option by showing that the opponent’s ticket will land America in a worse place. As humans, we believe we look and are better if we can make our neighbor look worse. So is all the slander too surprising? On an entirely non-political, unintellectual note, let’s look to Mean Girls for some words of wisdom.

 

As the entire movie suggests, humans have the false notion that tearing down others builds ourselves up. While it may make us appear better, it does nothing to enhance our being. As Christians, we are not called to appear better, especially not at the expense of others. James 4:11 calls us specifically to not slander one another. As humans, we have the natural tendency to promote ourselves by making others look worse, and we continually ignore the command given to us in Scripture. This is especially evident in election season. It is disconcerting that presidential candidates are not only exploiting our fears as human beings, but also are blatantly taking part in slandering one another. Perhaps this season shall serve as a reminder that we are called, especially as Christians, in James 2 to tame our tongue rather than engage in such “scurrilous” language which Biden so rightfully called an “abomination.”