As I listen to recent political speeches, debates, quips, and pure demagogy by people running for office, I’ve often wondered, “Has any candidate for any public office ever really answered a question honestly?”
Someone reading this might say, “Wait a minute, I used that big word demagogy. What does that mean?” I apologize. Since we’re talking about telling the truth, we should at least try to do it with these big, beautiful words.
According to Oxford Languages, which publishes more dictionaries than anyone else on the planet (check the facts!), demagogy is defined as “the practice of soliciting support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people. It is said to be a noun that refers to “political activities or practices that seek support, rather than political activities or practices.” Use rational arguments. ”
“Wait, I get it. If I suggest that illegal aliens are eating the dogs and cats of legal residents in a town, does that mean I’m demagoguery?” Exactly. But not everything a candidate says on the campaign trail is made up or based on conspiracy theories, right?
Of course not, but I think we’ve reached a situation where we expect people running for political office to lie, act evasively, and at least exaggerate the truth to make a point. I think there are. If you put it that way, I think my reaction is a little disgusted.
I know that’s ironic. Perhaps the reason I have such doubts is not because of my age, but because of the mileage I have accumulated. I own those miles. Likewise, I have to have my own cynicism.
I have been telling my students, all adults and most of them teachers, that I have been monitoring presidential campaigns since the 1968 presidential election, when the Democratic Party held its convention in Chicago. .
As a 9-year-old kid, I was fascinated by what I saw about the tournament on the nightly news. That fascination turned into a lifelong quest to study presidential politics and politics in general.
One of the things that worried me when I realized that was that the people running for office weren’t necessarily telling the truth. I understand. It’s a simple concept. It’s about holding those who serve as leaders to higher standards.
Wait a minute – higher standards? When did basic honesty become a higher standard? Fundamentally, we really expect basic honesty. Please allow me to demonstrate.
• If I lie on my resume or job application, most employers would consider that a valid and valid reason to fire me. At least that’s what I teach my students in the HR course I currently teach.
• When I go to a licensing branch to obtain a new driver’s license, the good people who run the facility will trust that I am telling the truth when applying for that license. Except they don’t trust me completely. If you really need that license, you will need to submit valid documentation. No amount of argumentation can replace documenting the truth.
• Candidates, particularly school board candidates, who say they are not endorsed by Moms for Liberty (or Purple for Parents, the locally-based Indiana version), yet attend training sessions on “how to run.” If you are caught on camera doing so. for the school board,” and you have a right to believe that they should not hold public office as a school board member. why? Both of these groups are classified as extremist anti-government groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center and have gained notoriety state and nationally for opposing public education. Honesty is key.
To be clear, we require that those running for and holding public office maintain at least basic standards of human decency and integrity. I believe we have a right to expect. “I saw it on the internet” does not guarantee accuracy. Because we all know that you can’t believe everything you see online.
Last week, gubernatorial candidate Mike Brown used a photo of his opponent, Jennifer McCormick, in a campaign ad at a rally, where many of the people behind her showed signs of their campaign. He put up a sign to replace the sign and said instead: gas stove. ”
Brown personally approved the ad, knowing it was fake. After running the ad, Brown acknowledged that the ad was created in an attempt to prove what his campaign considered a necessary talking point. He has since added language required by Indiana law regarding when a candidate intentionally uses untrue material.
Wouldn’t it be great if every time a candidate or incumbent lied, a little light would turn on or something like that? Oh yeah, that story has already been told. It’s about a wooden doll who just wanted to be a “real boy” but whose nose grew every time he told a lie.
Shakespeare said, “In the end the truth will come out.” Imagine the difference in all the political movements going on right now if everyone seeking political position and power simply told the truth instead of lies and the need for fact-checking. Is it difficult to imagine it? Yes, me too. But hope springs eternal.
Michael Shafer of Fort Wayne is director of the Master of Educational Leadership Program and clinical associate professor at Ball State University.
