By Adam Lloyd Johnson, Ph.D.
Political rhetoric is nothing new; it’s been around forever. But over the last few years, its intensity has skyrocketed. This causes many to struggle with anxiety, fear, frustration, anger, and hatred. It can get people so worked up that they feel compelled to take extreme, even violent, actions. As of July 18, 2024, we don’t know the motives of the man who tried to assassinate Trump. But it’s reasonable to assume that extreme rhetoric played a role in creating this horrendous event where people were injured and one man lost his life. I’m going to explain how and why political rhetoric comes about. My hope is that if we better understand rhetoric, then there will be less chance it’ll make us anxious, angry, and hateful, and I want to encourage both sides to tone down the rhetoric.
Those who want to lead have to learn how to motivate people to listen to them and follow their leadership. This is true in every area—sports coaches, church pastors, business executives, military commanders, political leaders, etc. There are many appropriate ways leaders can motivate people to follow their leadership. Good leaders inspire, exhort, and encourage by their outstanding example, compelling insights, appealing character, and rousing speeches. Praise God for such leaders that play key roles in our lives.
However, there are some downright immoral, deceptive tactics that leaders can use to motivate people to follow their leadership. These tactics are especially tempting when multiple people are competing against each other for leadership and the power and influence that comes along with it. The most well-known deceptive tactic is over-promising. This was hilariously illustrated in the movie Napoleon Dynamite where Pedro, who was running for high school class president, proclaimed “If you vote for me, all your wildest dreams will come true.” Politicians are famous for promising things they have absolutely no control over. I always chuckle when a politician promises they’ll improve the economy because they have about as much control over the economy as they do the weather. Because this over-promising tactic is so well-known and easy to spot, most of us don’t get worked up over it and take whatever politicians promise with a grain, sometimes a cup, of salt.
However, there’s another deceptive tactic that’s much more insidious, often referred to as the scare tactic. Leaders employ this tactic by exaggerating the dangers we’d face if their leadership isn’t followed. Sometimes a leader will even invent a danger, or an enemy, that will harm us unless we follow their leadership because they can best protect us from this fabricated danger. Consider how Hitler convinced so many Germans that Jews were harmful and dangerous. Or consider how in the prequel Star Wars movies Palpatine orchestrated the Separatist crisis in order to convince the Galactic Senate to give him emergency powers which eventually led to him becoming an authoritarian emperor. I realize that’s fictional, but it’s based on numerous situations in history where a leader uses deceptive scare tactics to convince people to give him more power so he can “protect” them from some fabricated danger or enemy. Cult leaders are incredibly good at scare tactics like this.
Instead of completely inventing a danger or an enemy, what’s more common is that leaders will take something that really is somewhat dangerous and exaggerate how dangerous it is and/or exaggerate how much they can protect us from it. I’ve seen church leaders do this with demons. Are there demons that can influence and tempt us? You better believe it! But I’ve seen church leaders exaggerate the danger of demons and/or how much they can protect us from them in an attempt to scare people into following, or financially supporting, their leadership. Are there terrorists that can harm us? Absolutely. But government or military leaders can exaggerate the danger of terrorists in an attempt to scare us into giving them more power, or giving up our freedoms, under the ruse that by doing so they’ll be able to protect us.
Politicians often use this scare tactic by claiming that if the opponent they’re running against gets elected, then terrible, horrible things will happen. Full disclosure here: I’m a registered Republican, have always voted for Republicans, mostly because of the abortion issue, and I don’t foresee that changing anytime soon. I do believe that some of the policies promoted by Democrats are dangerous and harmful. However, I’ll be the first to admit that Republicans are just as bad as Democrats in using these scare tactics. This sort of scare tactic rhetoric has grown in fervor and intensity over the last several years. Politicians, the news media, and everyday citizens are proclaiming that the world will come to an end if the wrong person gets elected. “If so-and-so becomes president, they’ll destroy America!” This sort of rhetoric has led to anxiety, fear, frustration, anger, and hatred. It can even get people so worked up that they feel compelled to take extreme, violent, actions.
So what can we do to help tone down the rhetoric and prevent ourselves from getting all worked up by it? Here are a few recommendations:
First, don’t buy into the rhetoric. If you think Trump is Hitler or Biden is Stalin, you’ve bought into the rhetoric. Recognize that politicians are going to exaggerate how dangerous their opponent is; that’s just how the game is played. Sometimes I feel bad for politicians; if they didn’t exaggerate, if they just calmly and rationally stuck to the issues, no one would listen to them! So, by the nature of the beast, they have to exaggerate and sensationalize things. But just realize that’s what they’re doing and take everything they say with a grain of salt.
Second, recognize even the politicians themselves understand their rhetoric is exaggerated. This became clear after the attempt to assassinate Trump. Before that Democratic leaders were calling him Hitler and saying he’d ruin democracy. But then after the assassination attempt, they all said they’re glad he survived and were praying for him to recover. You don’t say those things if you really believe he’s the next Hitler that will ruin democracy.
Third, don’t contribute to the rhetoric. Don’t use inflammatory words or fanciful descriptions of the politicians you disagree with. Instead, calmly, rationally, and respectfully explain why you disagree with them. You won’t get as many people’s attention or as many “likes” on social media as you would if you over-sensationalized, but that’s not what this is about. An exaggerated sensational insult doesn’t change anyone’s mind; it only gets people more stirred up, those that already agree with you to hate the politician more, and those that disagree with you to despise your preferred politician more. However, a calm, rational, respectful approach, though it won’t get as much attention, has the potential to actually change someone’s mind.
Fourth, acknowledge when candidates on your side exaggerate in their rhetoric. I admit Trump is the king of exaggeration. You can even call them out for it in a respectful way. A kind rebuke from a friend goes further than a sharp critique from an opponent.
Fifth, don’t allow any leaders in your life to have more power and control over you than is appropriate. Certainly there is proper place for leadership authority in the family, the church, and the government, and we should submit to such authority. Check out my sermon on the biblical role of government here: A Separation of Purpose: How Much Should Christians Be Involved in Government? But my point here is to beware of those who use deception to try to gain more power for themselves.
Sixth, don’t hate those you disagree with. It’s possible to confidently argue for your position without being a jerk. When you get frustrated by people you disagree with, and we all do, remind yourself that they’re human beings made in God’s image, they do have some viable points to consider, and that they’re your fellow Americans. As Americans, it’s amazing how much Democrats and Republicans actually agree about at the end of the day, even though this is hardly ever highlighted, especially in an election year.
Seventh, don’t worship, admire, or put too much hope in any politician. Don’t praise your favorite politician more than is appropriate. Don’t expect they’ll be able to accomplish all that they promise. Remember they’re only human and, regardless of what they promise, they’re not going to be able to fix most, if any, of the world’s problems. Most importantly, remind yourself that ultimately we should trust God, that He’s working out His purposes in the midst of all this chaos of humans striving for power. Only God can ultimately fix the root of what makes our world so terrible—us.
© Adam Lloyd Johnson and Convincing Proof.