Page 85 - The Social Animal

Mass Communication, Propaganda, and Persuasion 67

casions are seasoned reporters who are not always sympathetic to the
candidate. Frequently, they ask him difficult questions—occasionally,
questions that are downright hostile. The candidate finds himself
forever on the defensive. Sometimes the camera catches him at an
unflattering angle or in the act of scratching his nose, yawning, or
fidgeting. While viewing at home, his mother is surprised at the bags
under his eyes and at how tired and old he looks. Sometimes, when
faced with a tough or unexpected question, he has difficulty finding
the right response; he hems and haws and sounds inarticulate.
His opponent with the well-stocked campaign chest does not
need to appear in these kinds of forums. Instead, he spends vast
amounts of money videotaping spot commercials. Because he pays
the camera crew and the director, his countenance is captured only
from the most flattering angles. His personal makeup person works
extra hard to conceal the bags under his eyes and to make him ap-
pear young and dynamic. His mother, watching him at home, never
saw him looking so well. The interviewer asks him questions pre-
pared and rehearsed in advance, so that his answers are reasonable,
concise, and articulate. If the candidate does happen to stumble over
a word or to draw a blank, the cameras are stopped and the scene is
shot over and over again until it is letter perfect.
This example was hypothetical in the 1960s. Since then, it has
become a reality. Contemporary candidates (from those running for
11
president to those running for dog catcher) must look good on tele-
vision if they are to stand a chance of winning the election. Follow-
ing TV presidential debates, pundits usually discuss which of the
candidates acted “more presidential.” One very successful candidate
who did a great job acting presidential was a former film and TV
actor named Ronald Reagan. In addition, most candidates now must
spend increasingly more time and energy soliciting campaign contri-
butions to cover the spiraling costs of paid TV commercials. In a
given election year, the combined cost of congressional campaigns
now exceeds one billion dollars. 12

Effectiveness of Media Appeals

The broad question is this: How credible and effective are obvious
attempts to package and sell products (toothpaste, aspirin, presiden-
tial candidates) through the mass media? The prima facie evidence