A Lesson in Rhetoric

Smooth words pave the way for big lies. Whenever a policy maker is about to give the public a pill that is hard to swallow, he will typically soften the blow with encouraging rhetoric. Politicians will also use this technique during debates to distract listeners from the actual message.

These tactics are remarkably effective at disarming us due to the way the words tend to resonate with core values that we typically hold. Take for example the following positive resonators: “fair” “free” “equal” “regulation”. These words reverberate with “good feelings”. Unfortunately politicians rarely hammer out the definitions they use for these words when addressing the public, leaving us with the responsibility of discerning their intent.

Aside from the obvious path of conducting your own research there is a valuable measuring stick that can be used to evaluate politicians on the fly. While you listen to what they are saying look for trigger words that tend to illicit a positive or negative emotional response when you hear them. Once you have identified one, listen carefully to the next thing the persuader says. Chances are this statement is the one that actually contains some content. Though this technique will not always work, it does provide one more tool to protect yourself from lofty rhetoric.