Radio Silence; or, Role Models, Leadership & the #!@* Election
WN.12 \\ 10.7-13.24
Greetings, meine freunde!
Welcome to my off-weekly off-the-cuff review of efforts, insights, and whatevers in the last few days.
Hubris shows up in even the smallest things.
I was feelin’ myself in recent weeks, ticking along with my weekly newsletter rhythm, sure that I had it Figured Out.
Then I started recording podcast episodes.
And that’s when I discovered my downfall: if I’m doing this thing, then I have little margin for that thing.1
I truly love having these conversations with folks - they give me life. I even enjoy the process of framing and presenting the narrative of the conversation.
But I hate…in fact, I loathe… the actual process of editing and making a “thing” out of the raw footage.2 As of now, it takes me a solid 12-14 hours of going through the transcript, listening to the recording, manually editing verbal tics and unwanted noises (cuz I don’t yet trust the “A.I. helper” to do that well), and smoothing out the flow of conversation while staying true to the spirit and intent of the speaker.
So what I’m sayin’ here…creating podcast episodes takes much more time than I anticipated.3 Hofstadter’s law reigns supreme.
Ergo, I’m figuring out what the rhythms of creating things that I truly can’t wait to share with y’all look like. Please stand by…
What are We Saying When We Talk about Role Models and Leaders?
Ok, look. I try not to give hot takes on most things. I prefer tepid takes, cold takes, even: the kind of takes that require a loooooong cooling-off period. But I really got lit this week.
And so… Sigh.
I really, really do not like discussion of “politics” as currently practiced in the U.S. Like, if you told me that my PTSD resulted, in part, because of the atmosphere of politics in which I’m embedded through no choice of my own, I would hear no lies in that.
The fact that this arises out of a discussion on the upcoming election and voting choices thereof truly sticks in my craw. But here we are.
On this week’s episode of Truth Over Tribe, Patrick Miller hosted four different people and perspectives on the upcoming election and voting options. I thought each had valid things to say, and some things that left me scratching my head a bit.
But the thing that really lit a fire under me came in Patrick’s conversation with Erik Reed, a pastor making a case for voting for Donald Trump:
We're not voting on a pastor or an elder. We are voting for a political leader. And the Bible is filled with imperfect leaders used by God to achieve his purposes, right?
I mean, King David, we know his sins, yet he was used by God to do great things. We know King Solomon, he had foreign wives, he engaged in idol worship, but he is said to have ruled with wisdom. So there is a distinction here between their character at times, their behavior at times, morally, and whether or not they still are able to rule with wisdom.4
And so, I'm not investing a lot of hope in any candidate or any political leader to be my role model or to be my savior. They're not going to be my pastor. None of them would qualify to be elders in my church.
Later in the discussion, Reed says this:
And we're in desperate need of leadership right now in our country. Voting is not isolated from the time, the circumstances, and the events surrounding that election.
This is not a static moment, right? We have a particular context that we are casting our vote into. And I think currently as a nation, under our current president, President Biden, we're not being led. [W]e need leadership in our country right now, and I think [Donald Trump] offers the best choice for that.”
(emphasis mine)
“Not investing a lot of hope in any candidate or political leader to be my role model.”
“We’re in desperate need of leadership right now. We’re not being led.”
My dude. I mean. What do you think role models DO, ffs.5
A role model does not have to be in a position of formal leadership.
But a person who occupies such a role (like a president) is, de facto, a role model.
Because people follow the leader.
Because we become who we watch.
Earlier this year, I introduced the concept of “role models” into our conversation with this observation:
The term “role model” first came into existence in the 1950s, coined by American sociologist Robert K. Merton. He defined a “role model” as a person “looked to by others as an example to be imitated.” […] A role model could be anyone, anywhere. You can be a role model without even being conscious of it.
I would add to that last sentence: role models can also influence you without your conscious choice.
Jonah Berger, in his book Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces That Shape Behavior, points out that “we imitate what surrounds us.”6 He goes on to say that the “more we see a type of thing, the more we like similar things, too. Exposure increases familiarity.”7
We mimic others as a result of exposure and acclimation.
We do so, in part, because mimicry “facilitates social interactions” and can lead to connection and relationship.8 We imitate in an effort to bond with others over things we hold in common. We also mimic specific persons or groups so that we can “avoid being misidentified or communicating undesired identities.”9 We feel or perceive ourselves to be most authentic when our behaviors most display social conformity.
But imitating others also helps us navigate feelings or circumstances of ambiguity. When we feel uncertain, we “rely on others’ opinions and actions or choices,”10 because conformity “through imitation helps us simplify decision-making.”11 If others are doing or using it, it must be good.
But here’s the kicker: the social influence that sparks imitation “only works when other people’s opinions or behaviors are observable.”12 That visible behavior becomes “information, simplifying choice and allowing us to pick better” or differently. More than that, the people we observe “don’t just affect what we choose, they motivate us to action.”13 This happens through either conscious choice or unconscious acclimation.
We become who we watch.
If there ever existed a role comprised of visible opinions and behaviors to which we are exposed, and to which we become acclimated, and by which we navigate uncertainty and make decisions, it’s a national leader.
And I don’t know what else to call that but a role model.
Let’s be hopeful, creative, and wise—together.
Shalom,
What else?
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I juggle like Shaq.
Always have. Why do you think my poor YouTube channel is such a flop these days?
I’m really glad I decided to work in creating whole seasons ahead of time, rather than going week by week. For this very reason.
I would also like to point out: these examples of biblical leadership that Reed mentions here? They were not “used by God” so much as God worked his plans in spite of them. They experienced very real problems as a direct result of choices made out of their character that directly and disastrously affected the people they led. WTAF, people.
Berger, p. 25
Berger, p. 160
Berger, p. 40-41
Berger, p. 114-115
Berger, p. 22
Berger, p. 29
Berger, p. 59
Berger, p. 229-230