​Politics of style, politics of substance

There are a few more days to take advantage of the Freeman Center’s early voting site, which runs through this Friday. Cast your vote now before you miss out on your chance to participate. Of course, this time around it is difficult to not be aware that the elections are underway—the airwaves are saturated with poll results and Donalds waiting to be made "Drumpf again". Yet for all the talk, in this election perhaps more than others, it feels as though the policies have taken a backseat to the politics and severely subverted in discourse.

The emphasis on style and image in elections is not new. Warren Harding who is often considered one of the worst American presidents has had his speeches described as “an army of pompous phrases moving over the landscape in search of an idea.” Television had its own impact in sending JFK forward over Nixon in the 1960 election. What is new this cycle is news media, particularly social media which accelerates and fragments, allowing for short, viral sound bites, GIFs and memes devoid of context. These hog an ever-shifting and shrinking public attention span. Petty feuds and inappropriate comments dominate the Republican race; likewise, Hillary has her millennial-speak and emojis while Bernie his memes. Reporting continues, but peppered with “100 words or less” summaries, even at established and respected journalistic houses. Comedians have had a field day roasting everything in sight.

This acceleration and caricature-made-reality of politics reflects and sustains an electorate that is generally less willing to take the time to digest intricate policies. The election turns itself into a competition of pathos appeals. It is no new tactic to play to the fears and dreams of voters, but the trend and oversimplification of issues is amplified by our digital age. The success of the appeals that have defined this election reveals a disillusionment in our electorate. People are tired of the same kinds of politicians and do not see themselves represented in our capital. Any disruption scratches an itch. Unfortunately, in this election, this disruption has manifested in the form of offensive discourse and empty pizazz. This jeopardizes our political integrity, as candidates seek to feed the monster and tailor their campaigns to producing sound bites that they hope will go viral.

At times it may seem like there is no way forward toward an engaged and serious political climate, but this is not true. We cannot be disheartened that huge, systemic change is not within our individual grasp—we need to take to heart that by pursuing small, habitual goals in our political agency, we can create visible change. From what we have encouraged in students to read more and read better to making politics more accessible by picking one issue and becoming an expert on it. This is a great method for young voters who do not have the experience or time to grapple with entire platforms. Go to a POLIS event on campus and realize the political engagement is not a waste of time. Whatever you do, whatever your method, what is most important is not to give in to apathy. Giving up on critical thinking is giving up on your own future. If we at Duke cannot be bothered to care about the future we will create for ourselves, who will?