Not all 10 second sound bites are of real interest, of course. Many, like Nixon’s (“I am not a crook!”) or Armstrong’s (“One small step …”) just point to a situation.
But some, and the most dangerous, are those brief catchy phrases that summarize a political position on an issue, or offer a “silver bullet” solution to a problem.
Some examples include:
- Affordable Housing for the Homeless
- Workers Need a Living Wage
- If it Saves One Life, it is Worth it
- Lose 30 Pounds a Month
- Legalize Drugs – End the Drug Wars
- Get Rid of Violent Video Games
- Feed the Poor
But brief catchy phrases seldom present the real meat of the issues under discussion.
And all those “magic bullet” solutions to problems always seem to have unintended and unpleasant consequences.
Were you aware of the fact that much of the legislation passed by governments, results in consequences that are directly contrary to the intentions that provoked the legislation in the first place??
Those “nice ideas” floated in those sound bites usually have real, but unmentioned, costs.
And always involve hidden incentives.
And always seem to result in unexpected consequences.
But by thinking beyond the sound bite, we can learn to expect those unmentioned costs, hidden incentives, and unintended contrary consequences.