Telling It Like It Is

One way you can tell we are in a presidential election season is because the expression, "telling it like it is" is back as being on the forefront of people's lips. When asked why they favor one candidate over another, the response is often because "he/she tells it like it is." The person doing the asking nods as if the respondee just "told it like it is." But what does such a statement or rationale even mean? What is this person really saying? Four possible answers come to mind: They agree with what the candidate is saying; they comprehend what the candidate is saying; They believe the candidate is being honest and straightforward; and/or they are comfortable with how the candidate speaks.

I take no issue with any of these explanations. Rather, my beef is with the person using one of them to explain their support of a particular candidate. Why not just give one or several or even all of those explanations instead of falling back on a cliche that, at best, is vague in meaning? "Telling it like it is" has devolved into one of those phrases that sounds stronger and more clear than it really is. In the case of the great majority of presidential candidates over the years, one would be hard-pressed not to find one who did not "tell it like it is." What separated them was the amount of support voters gave the content of their remarks.

The irony, then, is that it is the voters who are vague in what they are communicating rather than the candidates. This reenforces the notion that it is a person's meotions that often dictate their election decisions. Consequently, they are not always able to properly articulate the reasons for their voting actions. Thus, what better way to escape close scrutiny than to fall back on some cliche than means less than it implies? Shame on those of us who do that. If we push ourselves to better explain decisions we make, then it seems logical that those decisions will have a greater chance of being more grounded and sound.