Bush-Kerry debate

KRT Wire | 09/25/2004 | For the Bush-Kerry debate, first, call all the lawyers

I watched a portion of the Bush/Kerry debates last night, not for political reasons, but to see the mediacracy at work. The rules for this debate seem to be as big of an issue as either Bush or Kerry. Why is that? because it is finally being widely noted that perception is as important as information... if not MORE important. Some may argue successfully that there is little difference between perception and information, via Heisenburg's assertion that the act of perceiving alters what you perceive to some degree. Now there's a big leap between a presidential debate and quantum physics, but in our minds there is not that big of a gap.

If you read this article, from the Miami Herald, you get a glimpse as to how sophisticated politicians (or their press secretaries) have become with regard to perceptions. The rules of this debate may seem triffling at first glance, but if you think about the reasons that the temperature of the venue is such a factor, or what items the debators can or cannot possess, you start to intuit the little things that effect your perception unconsciously. Now if the candidates know enough to negate these potential advantages prior to the debate, we have to wonder how often these are used outside of this venue to sway our thinking.

One of my favorite subliminal media techniques is "the subtle sigh". I catch Bill O'Reilly doing this on the radio all the time when people call in to the Radio Factor. He'll get close to his mike and breath in a labored fashion softly over the caller's point. He sounds bored or tired as the person speaks and you know that as soon as they stop talking he's going to dismiss the point for one reason or another... worse you start to empathize with Bill and become bored with the caller's point as well. Peter Jennings is really bad about that on TV. He's tones of voice and facial expressions can completely sway how you feel about a news story all by themselves.

Personally I found the debates mind numbingly dull. Of course, I'm not feeling well this week anyway. But, I also don't think some sterilized debate is going to sway me in either direction at this point. I've kept up on facts and I have made a decision based on that. Allowing a candidate's charisma or lack thereof to sway my vote would be irresponsible at this point.