Which Direction to Choose?

There is a new biography of P. T. Barnum out called "Barnum, An American Life." While I have not yet read it, I have read several reviews and they have been positive. In the world of public relations Barnum is a notable figure due to his ability to promote himself and his shows despite the fact much of what he was pitching was, to use a word often associated with him, "humbug." In defining what they viewed as the key categories of public relations, scholars James Grunig and Todd Hunt came up with one they labeled "press agentry." In doing so, they attributed Barnum as the inspiration for this category, one, they noted, that remains quite popular among practitioners even in these modern times.

In the book, author Robert Wilson puts forth a very intriguing and insightful observation from his subject: "The public appears disposed to be amused even when they are conscious of being deceived." One would have to be totally oblivious to our world today, particular in the areas of pop culture and politics, to not recognize the applicability of Barnum's quote. In the world of pop culture, for instance, so much of what we are exposed to, including advertising, motion pictures, books, television shows and even performers themselves, is promoted with a great deal of questionable bombast on a regular basis. Regarding politics, to give the most obvious example, the United States, sadly, is being led by a president, in office since January, 2017, who, according to The Washington Post, has told over 1,200 lies in efforts to promote his popularity and agenda.

We are now unaware of this onslaught of deceit. Is this because, as Barnum suggested, we find it to be amusing? I sure hope not. At the same time, if it has any element of truth in it, then the question is what role, if any, should professional communicators, including educators, play in striving to dampen the public's tolerance of blatant dishonesty? Or should those same professionals simply carry on in supporting the Barnum tradition and continue to perpetuate exaggeration and truth-stretching for the sake of profit and power? The profession stands at this crossroad. Which direction will it choose?