Ridiculing the Ridiculous: Pros and Cons

He looked at foreign affairs through the wrong end of a municipal drainpipe
-Sir Winston Churchill on Neville Chamberlain

Ridiculing our political representatives has a long and illustrious history, both here in the US and across the pond with our cousins in the UK. A well-placed, well-timed, and well-stated put-down can provide days of entertainment, where the Ridiculer can watch the Ridiculed and his supporters go apoplectic, and those on the sidelines sees the naked Republican or Democrat “Emperor” melting down and not looking so royal, any longer. There’s nothing like laughter to bring a self-styled demigod back down to earth. “Somebody pass out popcorn!”

Consider Winston Churchill’s description of Ramsay MacDonald:

“I remember when I was a child, being taken to the celebrated Barnum’s Circus, which contained an exhibition of freaks and monstrosities, but the exhibit on the programme which I most desired to see was the one described as “The Boneless Wonder”. My parents judged that the spectacle would be too demoralizing and revolting for my youthful eye and I have waited fifty years, to see the Boneless Wonder sitting on the Treasury Bench.”

This is tongue-fu at its highest art form. Rather than apologetically (re: faux humility) questioning Ramsey’s guiding principles or lack thereof, or merely calling him an invertebrate, Churchill’s use of Barnum’s “Boneless Wonder” creates a picture in the minds of his listeners of a spineless Ramsay that elicits mirth and the questioning of his moral fiber. Well played, WC.

Sure, there are some who think our national debate regarding, say, the merits of a free market v those of socialism, or the Constitutional parameters of the Federal government, should be engaged along the lines of a Rodney King Can’t We Just All Get Along conversation. Of course, that may be all fine and good when we are discussing zoning restrictions with our next door neighbors, but not so effective with ideological opponents who others believe are utterly committed to bankrupting the US and its citizens, as well as restricting their unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

If an individual believes someone has just smeared feces on what she holds as sacred, she is going to respond accordingly. Think about it: Who in her right mind is going to allow someone to walk into her house, verbally abuse her child, and expect her to say, “Come let us sip wine together and speak of butterflies and rainbows”? Thus …

The ridiculous deserves ridicule.

The fox in the hen house deserves (metaphorically!) buckshot in his ass.

A fool is to be treated according to his folly, saith Über Wise King Solomon.

However –

Here’s the rub for those who overuse “ridiculing the ridiculous.”

A lack of variety in communicating your principles will lead to monotony. In other words, you are boooooooring. Same ol’ same ol’, nothing to hear, here: move along. It’s like having a symphony at your disposal and only writing music for a single trumpet…screeching out the same note … over and over again.

After a while, if all people hear coming out of your mouth or laptop is ridicule—however warranted—you are placed in the category of Sally One Note – and that note is “mean.” Doesn’t matter if you think this is just, it simply is a reality, and one you must avoid if you are to be taken seriously. Of course being taken seriously also requires having historical, legal, principled, and logical arguments at your disposal, and not just invective.

Repeatedly calling your ideological opponents the equivalent of “pooh-pooh head” lacks imagination. At the very least go study Churchill or, changing venues, St Paul arguing with Judaizers who were saying Gentiles could not be “saved” unless they were circumcised: “Hey guys, if that’s true, if you really wanna be ‘holy,’ then go castrate yourselves.” Well played, St Paul

Copyright, Monte E Wilson, 2015  

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Your Words Matter

Words matter What you say, how you say it, when you say it, and where you say it always matters.  Every time you speak and each time you choose to remain silent (and silence is communicating), you are creating realities, altering mindsets and attitudes, and propelling yourself and others toward specific outcomes.

Words change things The words you choose to describe and define your present circumstances are moving those circumstances in a certain direction.  Are your words creating more and more possibilities or are they restricting your ability to change and enhance your circumstances?

Words change you Listen to your inner unspoken dialogue with yourself.  Are you reminding yourself of who you intend to become, or is your self-talk creating an individual altogether different from whom you wish to become?  Are you thinking word-thoughts of faith, hope, and love toward others or word-thoughts of disbelief, cynicism and hatred?  Think of this inner dialogue as an incantation by which you are casting a spell over your soul.  Will it help create the self you intend to become, or is it twisting you into someone else?

Words change them You can choose to speak justly and truly or shade and shape your words to serve only your own hidden agenda.  You can offer words of wisdom and hope, or you can speak words that debilitate and denigrate.  Ultimately, your words flow from your beliefs about yourself and others.  Do you believe the best or the worst?  As you are choosing your words, remember this: they are creating your legend and your legacy.

Words evoke The words you choose to speak evoke feelings and ideas in your listeners.  What do you intend for them to feel?  In other words, what psychological states are conducive to your achieving your outcomes?  What word choices will serve you here?  What words will help evoke the ideas that will serve both you and your audience’s goals for this particular engagement?

Words provoke You can speak words that provoke your audience to love and good deeds, or you can choose words that provoke them to frustration and feelings of hopelessness.  Of course, you can also choose words that put them to sleep, but I do not recommend this as a useful tact for guiding your audience toward your intended outcomes!

Words have a melody Listen to the conversations taking place around you today.  Each person’s words have a peculiar melody.  Some melodies are monotone, others utilize a few notes, and others create melodies and harmonies that intrigue, fascinate and please their listeners.  What melody accompanies your words, and is it supporting the intention of your communication?

Words expose and reveal Your words expose and reveal your heart and mind.  Sooner or later, your words will be congruent with what you truly feel and think.  Are your words congruent with your professed vision and Code, or do they reveal incongruence?  If your words reveal an incongruity, you have two choices: change your vision and Code, or change your heart and mind.

Words are the stuff dreams are made of Your words and dreams have a symbiotic relationship: they feed off of each other.  Are your words filling your dreams with more content and clarity, infusing them with increased power, or do your words weaken your faith and hope?  Do you speak as a dream-weaver, or do your words elicit nightmares?  Do your words move your world closer to the dream of truth and goodness, liberty and justice, love and compassion … or do they move us in the opposite direction?

Excerpt from my book, Legendary Leadership

Copyright, Monte E Wilson, 2011

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Listen Up!

Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.

--Stephen Covey

In communicating with others, few things are more maddening than mind readers. Before hearing a word, these people have already decided that they completely understand the details of your story, the cut of your jib, the landscape of your beliefs, and the whereabouts of your feelings. Not actually being an all-knowing deity, such arrogance quashes all genuine communication. Effective communicators, on the other hand, are keen listeners with unending curiosity, men and women who seek to understand so as to be understood.

In my trainings for effective communication and persuasion, I often begin with a game I took from a Meisner acting class. After groups of have been formed in circles or 6 or more people, I explain that they are going to tell a story, one word at a time, one person after another. The rules are 1) you cannot use a word the person next to you just used; and 2) you must speak your word within a few seconds. If either of these rules is broken, the story must begin again. “The goal of this game is for your group to tell a story that sounds as if one person is speaking.”

And hilarity ensues: some guys draw a blank when it is their turn and some repeat the previous word. During the first debrief I always ask, “Did any of you draw a blank because you choose a word before it was your turn and, when it became your turn to speak, the word didn’t fit?” Over half the people will raise their hands. When we are already know what we are going to say, we are not truly listening, not in the flow of the story, not in the moment.

After a few more attempts, the stories always begin to flow—but never in the direction the people assumed the story would go. My favorite one was where A. Boy. Was. Given. Money. By. His. Mother. To. Go. To. The. Store. And. Buy. Milk. The boy ended up buying some weed, was caught by a detective, but was granted immunity because he helped bring down a drug kingpin. You never know where the story is going to go! And herein lies the lesson: You. Don’t. Know. You. Can’t. Know. This is why listening is so critical.

When a mind reader assumes “I already know what you are going to say and already know what I’m going to say,” all we are going to “share” are simultaneous monologues. If, however, we want to actually communicate with others, then we will throw away our prepared speeches, put aside our judgments for a few moments, and open up our minds and hearts to those with whom we are communicating. Believe me: you will be amazed by the evolution of the stories and, quite often, the evolution of the relationship.

Copyright, Monte E Wilson, 2015

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