Political Ads – Tis the Season for Manipulation
Last weekend, my wife and I were in Pennsylvania, visiting her family and enjoying some football games. However, with the November 7th election just around the corner, there was no escaping the onslaught of political ads on every television station we tuned into. It got me thinking about the power of persuasion and manipulation in politics.
Two ads, in particular, stood out as so far-fetched that my wife, Jane, decided to look into each of them. What she discovered was truly eye-opening. These ads weren’t just misleading; they were blatant lies. Today, I want to share the details of these deceptive political ads, shedding light on the manipulation that politicians often employ to sway public opinion.
Attack Ad on Steve Zappala
Allegheny County District Attorney Steve Zappala is running for reelection. An ad against him stated, “Zappala is the one who jailed a woman who had a miscarriage, and then charged her with concealing the death of a child.”
Wow! I’m sure having a miscarriage is hard enough but to be jailed for it, was that true? Not at all. Here are the details from CBS News Pittsburgh:
“‘Pittsburgh Police responded to a house in Bloomfield,’ said Zappala. ‘There was a baby in a freezer and the baby was in a box. They didn’t know what to do exactly, so they charged abuse of corpse. And they didn’t know if it was a homicide, so what they did was call homicide who immediately calls us. So when they called us, we asked about the interview between the woman who was living there and the police officers, and what they said was that she had been disowned by her family, she lost her job, she was a single mom, and she had panicked when she had had the child,’ said Zappala.”
“Instead of jailing her, Zappala said he was concerned that the woman was suicidal. ‘She was immediately placed into a mental health pod which is equivalent to civil confinement in Western Psychiatric Hospital, and from that point on, she was cared for by medical professionals,’ noted Zappala.”
Bottom line: Steve Zappala is not jailing women for having miscarriages.
Steve Zappala Attack Ad
For his part, Steve Zappala isn’t much better than his political opponents. He ran an attack ad against his opponent Matt Dugan saying Dugan, “fought to stop a rape victim from testifying against her rapist.”
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “In short, they argued that testimony from women accusing him of sexual assaults for which he was not on trial shouldn’t be allowed, because it would prejudice the jury against him in considering the accusations for which he was on trial. Lawyers refer to such testimony as ‘propensity evidence’ or ‘prior bad act testimony,’ and prosecutors sometimes try to use it to demonstrate to a jury a pattern of behavior by defendants.”
In layman’s terms, she couldn’t testify against the man (Bill Cosby) because he wasn’t on trial for raping her. She’d already had her day in course in a separate trial.
Distortion is Manipulation
At the heart of these political ads is the manipulation of the truth for the benefit of one party, while detrimentally impacting the other. Unfortunately, such distortions have become the norm when it comes to political campaigning, and it’s essential for us not to turn a blind eye. The relentless repetition of misleading information can influence our thinking and voting decisions, while also fueling division and animosity between different political camps.
As we approach the next presidential election, and many critical congressional and senate races, the rhetoric will undoubtedly intensify with each passing day. My encouragement to you is simple: when you come across something that appears outlandish or too good (or bad) to be true, take a page out of Jane’s book and dig deeper. Seek out the truth, because being an informed voter is our best defense against manipulation.
Conclusion
In a world filled with political ads vying for our attention, it’s crucial to approach them with a critical eye and a healthy dose of skepticism. As we’ve seen, distortion and manipulation are all too common in these campaigns. By staying informed and fact-checking claims that seem too extreme, we can help ensure that our political decisions are based on truth rather than manipulation.
So, as the election season unfolds, let’s all make a commitment to be diligent truth-seekers, striving to see past the smoke and mirrors of political advertising. Only then can we make informed choices that reflect our values and beliefs, rather than falling victim to the snares of manipulation.
Edited with ChatGPT
Brian Ahearn
Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE and a faculty member at the Cialdini Institute.
An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, Brian helps clients apply influence in everyday situations to boost results.
As one of only a dozen Cialdini Method Certified Trainers in the world, Brian was personally trained and endorsed by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.
Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by Book Authority. His follow-up, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller. His latest book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, is a business parable designed to teach you how to use influence at home and the office.
Brian’s LinkedIn courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 650,000 people around the world. His TEDx Talk on pre-suasion has more than a million views!
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