Obama Campaign -> Ditch the word “Fair”, Replace with “Equal” [View all]

[thecentristword]

As the Obama campaign rolls out different strategies in the run-up for this fall, they are also trying out different key words and phrases. One of the words that President Obama has used a lot in the past week has been ‘fair’.

He has used this word to describe his approach towards both social issues (such as gay marriage), and economic issues (such as tax rates). In short, Obama has been saying that all American ‘should ge a fiar shot’. Sounds fine, yes? No, this is an AWFUL word choice for the concept he is trying to convey.

WEAK, WEAK, WEAK

Have you ever noticed that some words are stronger than others? For example, if you are expressing your disapproval to someone, which phrase is more likely to make an impact:

Option One: That is just not fair.

Option Two: That is unacceptable.

Option two is the clear winner. ’Unacceptable’ is a power word. It leaves not room for misunderstanding. When someone uses it, it means that a line has been crossed and that corrective action is needed – if not, some kind of consequence is immanent. A lot of punch from just one word.

Option one is whiney and weak. If someone was to tell that to you, what would be your reaction? There is a good chance you would think ‘well it is fair to me’. It is all in the eye of the beholder. In short, fair is a weak word.

USE ‘EQUAL’ INSTEAD

In my opinion, this is what Obama is trying to say. He is trying to get across the message that Americans do not want special treatment, they want ‘equal’ treatment. Equal rights under the law and equal opportunities in the Economy.

Equal is a strong word. Either something is equal or it is not equal – no room for confusion. Who could be against equality? No one.

http://thecentristword.wordpress.com/2012/06/16/obama-campaign-ditch-the-word-fair-replace-with-equal/

If you agree, let @davidaxelrod , @woodhouseb and @dwstweets know about it on twitter

DO YOU THINK THAT THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN SHOULD REPLACE THE WORD "FAIR" WITH "EQUAL"?

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