Obama's Infomercial


It was, for me, the biggest disappointment of the American election. I was looking forward to a speech, a fireside chat, a final convincing argument for why Obama should be president.

Instead, it was a damn documentary, complete with a musical score.

Now documentaries are a great way to tell a story. They can be very entertaining, as well as highly educational. But they are also the most untrustworthy, most treacherous form of communication yet devised. Their strengths in persuasion come not from candor, but rather the manipulation of the viewer's senses and emotions.

I wanted to witness Obama's power as an honest communicator. Instead we had to settle for another showcase from director Davis Guggenheim, who gave us Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth.

It was a shallow, bromide filled exercise, as contemptuous of the electorate as all the attack ads, from both parties, have been.

Posted: Thu - October 30, 2008 at 10:03 AM          

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