Bumper Stickers

I like clever bumper stickers as much as the next guy. They are fun to look at while you sitting in your car at a red light trying to remember what it is you are supposed to pick up at the grocery store. It is almost like one of those brain twisters we see in magazines, for instance, that are supposed to be fun, yet harmless challenges. The key word here is "harmless" because the last thing I want is to be reminded of how little I know and then feel bad about it. But while I do not have a problem with bumper stickers, I am concerned with politicians and other public leaders who speak in what I call bumper sticker lingo.

It is one thing to try and explain complicated issues in ways that people can understand. That is, after all, what good communication is all about. But it is quite another to, for the sake of simplification, misrepresent an issue. That is not good communication, nor is it being honest. The current financial crisis of our nation that seems to be unfolding before our eyes is a case in point. This is a complicated matter that even economists are working to get a handle on. What are the causes of this problem? Can it be adequately addressed? How much of a burden will average taxpayers be forced to carry as a result this calamity? Is what we are currently witnessing the tip of the iceberg? The questions go on and on and probably will continue to do so for years to come. This is a very complex issue and cannot be explained away with a glib phrase or two.

This is why, in addition to everything else, our leaders need to focus on being good communicators regarding this issue and do an effective job of explaining it in ways that do justice to it and do not mislead the public. People will be more likely to support steps that the government ultimately takes if only they feel they are being treated fairly and honestly. Therefore, we need to beware of bumper sticker phrases , particularly on issues of this nature, because the odds are they are not conveying the whole truth. The fact is we are smarter than bumper stickers phrases even though we may not always be able to figure out what the driver in the car in frotn of us is really trying to say in the bumper sticker phrase stuck on the back bumper of their car.