OBLIQUE OBSERVATIONS
By Atty. Gilberto Lauengco, J.D.
Cracking jokes during campaign sorties is nothing new. It is very difficult to maintain the interest of the audience, especially where there are several candidates giving speeches in one sortie. As such, jokes are essential in getting audience attention and interest. Unfortunately, the art of properly delivering jokes or anecdotes in a political campaign is difficult to master. There is a very thin line between funny and offensive. Over the past few days, several candidates learned this fact the hard way. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has issued several show cause orders to candidates who have recently been accused of using offensive language during their campaign speeches.
One candidate in the National Capital Region has the now dubious distinction of being able to offend two sectors in successive sorties with bad and offensive jokes. In one sortie, he offended single mothers and in another sortie, he offended plus-sized women. Rather than being contrite in issuing apologies, the candidate defended himself by doubling down and attempting to deflect the issue by blaming others and claiming that the issue was being used by his political opponents. His press conference and sortie explanation speech session are masterclasses on how not to conduct crisis management sessions. If you are going to apologize, then just apologize. Any other way is just arrogance, plain and simple.
The ability to deliver offensive jokes during campaigns and get away with it is a skill not everyone can learn. It requires a granular knowledge of brand creation and maintenance. To be able to inoculate oneself from the effects of these types of jokes, one has to develop the political brand of a charming rogue. A candidate who can perfect the persona of the charming rogue will be able to get away with delivering these types of jokes. Sadly, the candidate in question is as far away from a charming rogue as one can possibly become.
One requisite for a proper charming rogue persona is the ability to display the proper smile. For politicians, the appropriate smile is a type of smile called the affiliative smile. An affiliative smile communicates approachability, acknowledgment, and appeasement. It exudes affinity towards the onlookers and promotes cooperative relationships. The candidate in question’s smile is what is called a leer. Add his normal stance of a half akimbo during speeches and you have a template for how not to project yourself as a candidate. His entire package screams arrogance.
All is not lost, however. True repentance and contrition and admission of errors mixed with humility can go a long way for politicians. Pride is a heavy baggage in politics.
