Honesty in Politics
“There is no honesty in politics.”
800-1000 words
STYLE: Expository
PROMPT: Cartoon 3
AUDIENCE: Those concerned about the consequences of political dishonesty.
Six years ago I sat in a classroom, pondering a matter which has come of interest once more. There is no honesty in politics. Being faced with this subject brings me back to one of my noteworthy days from back in primary school; voting period for the ‘grade fivers and sixers’. We had just heard speeches from a team of brave year six students hoping for school captaincy. Most of the year six population voted for their buddies. It was an easy choice for them. My year five self, however, relied on the quality of the speeches to dictate her vote. The person which I had voted ‘no.1’ for still infuriates me today. She had promised to turn our basketball court into a swimming pool. It never happened. Which brings me back to the issue at hand, that there is no honesty in politics. It is hard to say to what extent this belief is valid. When one is running for a position of power, dishonesty is a tempting resource in order to maintain one’s ideal image, at least until elected. But even when in the position of power, there are situations in which one could still feel compelled to lie for their own benefit. However, the honest candidate avoids the risk of expectation, and can draw from this his own advantages. Past events have shown us many examples of varying levels of honesty in politics. As in the case of my number one vote, had I been aware of the flaw in her promise, I’d have voted instead for the boy who rapped his speech for us.
Perhaps the most critical period for an aspiring leader are the days leading up to election, when he must keep up appearances. Shown blatantly in the film Wag The Dog by Barry Levison is the effort behind protecting one’s true image in the days before election in order to maintain and gain supporters. In the journey to power, dishonesty appears as an accommodating
800-1000 words
STYLE: Expository
PROMPT: Cartoon 3
AUDIENCE: Those concerned about the consequences of political dishonesty.
Six years ago I sat in a classroom, pondering a matter which has come of interest once more. There is no honesty in politics. Being faced with this subject brings me back to one of my noteworthy days from back in primary school; voting period for the ‘grade fivers and sixers’. We had just heard speeches from a team of brave year six students hoping for school captaincy. Most of the year six population voted for their buddies. It was an easy choice for them. My year five self, however, relied on the quality of the speeches to dictate her vote. The person which I had voted ‘no.1’ for still infuriates me today. She had promised to turn our basketball court into a swimming pool. It never happened. Which brings me back to the issue at hand, that there is no honesty in politics. It is hard to say to what extent this belief is valid. When one is running for a position of power, dishonesty is a tempting resource in order to maintain one’s ideal image, at least until elected. But even when in the position of power, there are situations in which one could still feel compelled to lie for their own benefit. However, the honest candidate avoids the risk of expectation, and can draw from this his own advantages. Past events have shown us many examples of varying levels of honesty in politics. As in the case of my number one vote, had I been aware of the flaw in her promise, I’d have voted instead for the boy who rapped his speech for us.
Perhaps the most critical period for an aspiring leader are the days leading up to election, when he must keep up appearances. Shown blatantly in the film Wag The Dog by Barry Levison is the effort behind protecting one’s true image in the days before election in order to maintain and gain supporters. In the journey to power, dishonesty appears as an accommodating