How Do Politicians Influence The Audience So Easily? The Art of Making Sense While Talking Shit.

Namaste Everyone,

The situation of politics in India has become so repetitive. Everytime, this is what happens :- a politician rises, giving a billion hopes and dreams for the future of India, does two-three dozen rallies and builds up such an image of himself by his sweet-slippery words that people literally consider him the next messiah. We all know what happens next..

Even after rising to power, to keep the voters always glued, he will address the most lunatic matter in the most optimistic way and the most useless topic in the most salient way. Everytime the citizens of India get whacked up like this. Then they wonder in despair - ये सब आप कर कैसे लेते हो जी...?

Just few weeks ago a controversy sparked when our Defense Minister had commented that it was Gandhiji who had asked Savarkar to file the mercy petitions in his Andaman Jail days. Our last two blogs got their topics just because of this comment. Earlier, we had initiated a journey to decide whether Savarkar was true or Gandhi. In this blog, we come to the root cause of all our confusion - ridiculous comments of politicians on historical figures to stimulate the audience emotionally stirring up the national ideological balance.

This is the grave truth of today's India. If tomorrow, if two Facebook pages, bribed by politicians to fulfil their agenda, come up with some utter bullshit in the name of history and shares it, that distorted bullshit will spread like fire. All the idle retired uncles and aunties will innocently forward it. Then, all the youths, with their half-baked brains and literally no idea of anything, will jump about here and there uselessly revolting and protesting on roads and streets. Know this for certain dear readers, if you are even a bit aware of current affairs, you'll know that Facebook is in huge pressure because of this in present.

Now. We need to understand the science behind their sharp comments and their agenda behind them.

The art of effective communication and the art of persuading someone to believe something by playing cleverly with words have been found in many ancient lores. For example, in Mahabharata, in the Yuddhisthir's "अश्वस्थामा हथः, नरो वा कुञ्जरो वा?"  incident.

Famous Greek Philosopher and Thinker Aristotle taught that a speaker's ability to persuade an audience is based on how well the speaker appeals to that audience in three different areas: logos, ethos, and pathos.

1. Logos (Greek for “word”)

- Focuses attention on the message.

- Often called a “logical appeal,” or an “appeal to reason.”

- Points out internal consistency and clarity within its argument.

- Frequently uses data to support its claim.

This technique uses pure logic to convince someone of something. If the convincer does not have any logical reason to support his matter, he may even try to sound logical. He may numb the listener's mind by bombarding him with useless data. This is the path of Logos.

2. Ethos (Greek for “character”)

- Focuses attention on the writer’s or speaker’s trustworthiness.

- Takes one of two forms: “appeal to character” or “appeal to credibility.”

- A writer may show “ethos” through her tone, such as taking care to show more

than one side of an issue before arguing for her side. When you use a

counterargument to show an opposing side to an issue before explaining why

your thesis is still correct, you use ethos.

- Other times, the author may rely on his reputation for honesty or his

experience in a particular field. Advertising that relies on doctors’ statements or

political records often use an appeal to ethos.

This type of convincing method tries to win the trust of the listener and then make a point. Why do people always trust Google? Because it's Google. Thus, Google has no logical sense to be always correct but this has now become a pattern, hence we expect the same from Google in future too - to be always true. Therefore, Google has gained authority over us and that's Ethos.

3. Pathos Pathos (Greek for “suffering” or “experience”)

- Focuses attention on the values and beliefs of the intended audience.

- Appeals to the audience’s capacity for empathy, often by using an imaginable

story to exemplify logical appeals.

- Whereas logos and ethos appeal to our mental capacities for logic, pathos

appeals to our imaginations and feelings, helping the audience grasp an

argument’s significance in terms of how it would help or harm the tangible

world around them.

We see examples of Pathos many times in advertisements. "Amul Dudh, Desh ka dudh" "Tata Namak, Desh ka Namak" are some of the pin-point examples of Pathos. This technique tries to win the soft corner of our heart. Many times, when any propaganda has no logic and no authority.. It desperately tries to create Pathos i.e emotinal stimulus. 

Rhetorics is the the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the exploitation of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.

Thus, our naughty political leaders use this very concept of Aristotle to trick us. You'll find that almost everytime they use Pathos to convince the public. In a public speech where 15000-20000 people are listening to you.. If you even mistakenly say incorrect, who will stand up there and correct you? None is there to recheck every word that you say. Thus, altering the minds of the listeners emotionally is the only option the politicians have.

Now. Was Savarkar right or Gandhi?

Hahaha.. Leave those two innocent chaps to themselves now and move on. Try to understand the agenda behind those politicians who think that having a heated debate on two 100 year old historical figures is more important than debating on current national issues!

You'll notice that almost all the criticism that modern-day politicians throw at historical figures is that "He did that.."

                         "No.. He didn't.. "

                         "He used to do that.."

                         "No he actually meant that.."

And so on.

You see, even if I create a ridiculous story on some historical figure just out of thin air and keep shouting it at my throat's maximum, one day that cock-and-bull story will be a belief of millions. Our society is such that even a lie becomes a truth when accepted by the masses.

Suppose I say that Gandhiji was a Ganja addict. During his stay to Africa he was involved with So and So Club ( fancy name ) and smoked ganja in the year XXXX between the months MM and NN and in that Y city. Now, this claim of mine, which sounds very polished and logical, cannot be PROVEN true by me myself and false by others. I just have the option to bombard thousands of logical arguments to convince you, which may even be false.. And you too have no option to know the truth.. Your options are only to believe it or disbelieve it. These personal attacks and image tarnishing has become ABCs of politics. 

These aweful politicians..They simply want to divide us ideologically and win their portion of voters. Cannot they ask votes in the name of promising a little better education? A little better environment? Or they need to go back to freaking Independence Struggle and throw mud at each other debating on history? Whose both sides remain just belief, and are unprovable.

Thus,

Think for yourself.

Understand, Be Aware, Awake.

Thank you,

Daksh Parekh.