After exploring the subject of political psychology and the psychology of political behavior over the course of the last few blog posts, the question that emerged in my mind now is the question of what constitutes effective communication and persuasion. If business, politics, social activism, and social activity are all about effective communication and persuasion, then what is it that makes certain individuals more communicative and more persuasive than others?
In a political and social context and situation where your movements and even your thoughts are known to those who are observing you, the question becomes one of how to communicate and express yourself effectively in order to persuade and satisfy those who are anticipating your movements and thoughts and perhaps even turn the tables on those who have coincidentally fostered such a climate in what has been an imperialistic and hegemonic era over the course of the last couple of decades. When Kamala Harris is found to be hypervigilant and mindful and on the tip of her toes regarding what is being said about her in the media and on the internet, or when Nancy Pelosi has to be bailed out of a disaster in Taiwan because she is thin-skinned, one arrives at the realization of how incredibly frivolous, toxic, and trivial the entire machine and system has been made to be, simply so that the machine and system can be at the behest and service of such frivolous, petty, and ridiculous individuals.
‘Political correctness’ and the perceived boundaries, limits, and notions of what can be said and not be said in the public discourse and public sphere means exercising caution over one’s thoughts and movements to the point of paranoia, schizophrenia, and mental illness. But when certain individuals in civil society or international society who are known for flouting convention and defying political correctness end up retracting just one statement on a rare occasion and proceed to disrupt or slightly alter the chain of thoughts and discourse which they have developed over time, it is possible that the person is retracting a statement not because they are wrong. Rather, the individual may be retracting the statement because they do not like to be proven wrong when they are not wrong. On balance, killing Christians and rigging elections both at home and overseas is far worse than criticism, the vulgarity of the masses, and the refusal to be proven wrong when one knows they are not wrong.
Because generalization is a logical fallacy and it violates the general rules of logic, it follows that there must be a handful of noble and extraordinary individuals in an environment like Washington. But the overwhelming majority are simply not worth the time or the energy, especially once the issue of ‘black magic’ becomes manifest and it still goes on being denied. Knowing about ‘black magic’ in the past would have saved many of us a lot of headaches, pain, gas money, parking and traffic tickets, and stress. Plus, as the French-Jewish journalist and writer Sylvain Cypel has written in a book titled “The State of Israel vs. The Jews,” the number of Jews in the Jewish diaspora who are adhering to the idea and notion that the concept of ‘Zionism’ as it has manifested itself over the last couple of decades runs counter to the basic precepts of the Jewish faith and Jewish religion has only increased over time.
Thus, when it comes to the issue of effective communication and persuasion, there is no denying that the basic foundation of effective communication and persuasion is truth-telling, honesty, and the pursuit of what is seemingly peace of mind, in addition to being genuinely kind and helpful to others without exaggerating or overwhelming others and without the intent of exploiting and deceiving people. And if everything comes down to intent, what matters is the strength and veracity of the evidence and facts one can use in order to shed light on one’s intent and the motives which go behind the efforts at communicating with others and persuading others of one’s position and viewpoints. In a sense, there are no words to express certain feelings and thoughts, and to be left speechless is the logical outcome in certain cases. Plus, when certain things are manifest and speak for themselves, there is no need for words and speech in certain cases and circumstances.
Adam A. Azim 