Oli entourage: A contradictory lot in rhetoric and action

Harvard professor Steven Pinker, in a scholarly deliberation, subtly describes the reasons behind political rhetoric tending to be “vague, empty and bland”. For this, not only the politicians but also the audiences play their part equally as both are hypocritical in political messaging. It is because, he says, “there is firestorm when the leaders speak substantive”. In our context we can imply that a leader would not be able to draw attention of voters or people or win their support if s/he speaks reality in terms of what actually s/he can perform or is performing. To fill this void s/he speaks tall promises, vague and empty ideas that look like real with a lot of glitter to generate wow from the audience. The media, instead of focusing on substantive information, always “yearns for spotting gaffes the politicians commit when there is not horse race”, Pinker further observes. Framing and spin-doctoring techniques are widely applied in generating and spreading unsavory ideas as part of the political rhetoric, he argues.

Rhetorical tricks