Social psychologist analyses emergence of new, 'finely-crafted political rhetoric'

Dr Mark Rapley

A Murdoch University social psychologist has urged Australians to be more aware of how the 'new' political rhetoric is finely crafted to play on emotions.

Dr Mark Rapley says political rhetoric, coupled with sophisticated, media-conscious 'personality' management, could be used to mobilise issues such as racism and prejudice.

The 'new' political rhetoric can often mimic 'ordinary talk' and is targetted to appeal to 'ordinary Australians' — as was the case with Pauline Hanson's campaign in 1996. Ironically, in the same election, Liberal Party leader and Prime Ministerial aspirant John Howard claimed that he, rather than incumbent Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating, spoke for the Australian 'battlers'.

Dr Rapley says that Hanson herself is, essentially, irrelevant in the context of the broader issue of how political rhetoric works to rally support.

'But the apparently successful mobilisation of public opinion in support of Hanson may have serious social and political consequences in an electoral democracy," he says.

For example, when governments were in trouble appeals to nationalism were often used.

He cites examples such as Thatcher's appeal to nationalist fervour during the Falklands War, the local popularity of Milosevic, despite international condemnation of human rights violations in Kosovo and, more recently, John Howard's emotive appeal to what he claimed was the 'national interest' in his address to the nation on the Wik legislation.

"The way in which the (political) speaker defines, categorises, or constructs their self-identity is central to the process of mass social influence," he says.