I recently listened to the March 12, 2010 episode of This American Life. It was another captivating hour of listening this time focusing on a series of stories of one person singlehandedly taking control of a situation. My favorite was from the final ACT. Here is the description of that story directly from the This American Life website:
For the last 12 years, the University of Montevallo in Alabama has held an event called The Life Raft Debate, where several professors take the stage and each tries to convince the students that his or her discipline – chemistry, say, or communications – is the most essential field of study. But in 2007, a professor named Jon Smith decided that the debate itself needed saving. Producer Nancy Updike tells the story.
Basically, over a series of years the professors had switched from having an actually debate to simply entertaining. The substance was gone until Jon Smith called them on it in 2010. His argument is brief, but heartfelt. Surprisingly, it seems to also apply to politics and truly any arena in which substance has been replaced with pure entertainment value.
In the United States it often appears that our government is only political theater, rather than a place where discourse takes place. We, as Smith describes, are partially to blame for this shift. We allow it and we also encourage it.
Do we also do this within our schools and organizations? As many run for new positions this time of year, is the slogan more important than the substance? What are we putting out there?
From a personal standpoint, I know that I’ve failed in a speech if people come up to me and only highlight the humor. I do believe that a “spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down,” but I want to make sure that there still is “medicine” within my speech. I’d hate to finish my days on this earth and just be known for “being funny.” I want to contribute something.
I hope, deep down, we all do. Let’s bring back the substance to our SELF.
If you have a moment, listen to the Life Raft Debate portion off the This American Life website. It’s less than 14 minutes and it might really challenge you to do more.