Truth is too often a
casualty of the 'Image Age'
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By
Casey Hurley
published:
Truth is too often a casualty of the ‘Image Age’
“... a dog is smarter than its tail. If
the tail
were smarter, it would wag the dog.”
— From the movie “Wag the Dog”
A theme of this movie is that the tail wags the dog in American
society
because we live in the “Image Age.”
As citizens in a capitalist society, we accept that we are
surrounded by
enticements to buy. Advertisers create images in newspapers, on the
airwaves,
on the Internet, on the sides of buses, etc.
Unfortunately though, we value “image” too much. We now believe
things like,
“We have to present this in a positive light.” “Perception is reality.”
“The
medium is the massage,” as Marshall McLuhan taught many years ago.
At what point do these truisms obscure truth? We want beauty and
truth in
our lives; but, when they conflict, do we automatically choose beauty
(image)?
If so, truth is not only the first casualty of war, but also the
ubiquitous
casualty of the “Image Age.”
As “Wag the Dog” suggests, we often do not see through “image” to
discover
truth, and substance. I see evidence of this in politics, sports,
education,
and religion.
The televised Richard Nixon-John F. Kennedy presidential debate is
the point
from which many people date the “Image Age” in politics. Political
analysts
claim that the contrast between Kennedy’s bright, clean image and
Nixon’s dark,
sullen image translated directly into votes for Kennedy. A belief in
the
importance of “image” has dominated politics ever since.
In “What Comes Next,” James Pinkerton described “legislating by
titling.”
Referring to a Department of Education initiative in the first
President Bush’s
administration, he wrote, “if we had thought
we could
get away with it, we would have called our opus “The Better Schools
Through
Motherhood and Apple Pie Act.”
Today the Department of Education administers the No Child Left
Behind Act —
a piece of legislation backed by both a fine title and the promotional
campaign
of journalist Armstrong Williams, who was paid $240,000 to violate
journalistic
ethics.
Furthermore, payments to public relations firms rose to $250 million
during
President George W. Bush’s first term. President Clinton spent $128
million in
his second term.
Shouldn’t legislative decisions be based on merit and truth? Merit
is
obscured, however, when it lies behind the images created by public
relations
campaigns and the words of promoters masquerading as journalists.
The
“There was a perception that this guy (Schwarzenegger) is too
strong, too
popular,” said Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer
Federation
of
“The (California Nurses Assn.) was not concerned about that.”
Holober said.
“They were concerned about protecting their patients. ... They have
shown other
unions and other opponents of the governor’s policies that, when he is
wrong,
you have to confront him and stick to the issue. And you can beat him.”
Other opponents of Schwarzenegger’s policies are teachers, and
firefighters.
What is the likelihood that a governor who has spent much of his life
in front
of cameras is going to be wrong about health care, education, and fire
protection? Maybe
Image now seems to trump substance and merit in sports, too. A
recent
headline in Tennis magazine told readers that the new executive
director of the
United States Tennis Association is going to work to improve tennis’s
image.
Why? Tennis is sport and recreation. Why does it need an improved
image?
Women’s professional golf is also concerned about image. In the
promotional
video, “The Spirit of Golf,” LPGA golfer Grace Park said, “People like
to see a
pretty face, a pretty figure.”
I don’t dispute her comment, but this is sport, not a beauty
pageant. Maybe
our society has lost the ability to appreciate female athleticism (if
we ever
had it). The irony is obvious.
Last fall, in the field of education, I experienced another way in
which
image dominates our thinking. One of this year’s
There is nothing wrong with our goal — unless it diverts resources
and
energy that should go toward actually achieving higher performance
among our
faculty and students. Nothing should stand in the way of that goal —
even
trying to make it look as though we have high- quality professors and
programs
(which we do).
Evidently, emphasizing image can cause intelligent people to think
about
things in silly ways. While we were discussing how to appear more like
the University
of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, our very discussion represented another
way in
which we were not like UNC-CH. The irony is obvious.
Finally, religious missionaries sometimes create images that distort
truth.
Recently a missionary priest told members of our church about the
desperate,
starving people he was serving in the mountains near
The impression he created was totally different from what I have
experienced
working with Jamaican teachers in that same region. So I was puzzled.
Eventually I understood that he was using his experiences to create
an image
of despair and poverty — the more hopeless and destitute the image, the
greater
the likelihood we would donate.
I was using my experience in the same region to help me understand
the role
of culture and environment in shaping the meaning of human life. The
irony is
obvious.
The biggest disappointment of my adult life is realizing that the
tail wags
the dog in our society. My next biggest disappointment is that few
people seem
to notice or care.
Casey Hurley is a professor of educational administration at