OPINION:
As a scholar of rhetoric for more than four decades, I frequently observe the significant difference between “seeing” and “feeling” the news.
There is no better example of this than the current state of our economy and its potential political impact.
Case in point: On Wednesday, we learned that the nation’s rate of inflation rose to 4.2%. This, however, is more than a statistic.
The woman in front of me this morning at the store checkout counter had only $80 to pay for her groceries. As a result, she was forced to remove several items from her cart to get the price reduced to what she could afford.
I offered to pay the remaining amount, but she declined. I understand how embarrassed she must have felt. In retrospect, I wonder whether my gesture to help her made the situation worse. Perhaps.
Yet the bottom line is this: Inflation is a real and visceral problem. Americans are hurting, and we have a president who does not care.
Indeed, there is a real rhetorical difference between “seeing” and “feeling.”
Ernest A. Sharpe Centennial Professor Emeritus, Moody College of Communication
University of Texas at Austin
Camas, Washington
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