It seems as though everyone wants to be influential. And why not? Our society consecrates those select few who can claim to hold influence. Time magazine publishes an annual list of influencers. The online edition of Forbes continues to feature articles that inform the common man on how to spread his influence around the workplace. Those influencers in the public eye take to the speaking circuit to cash in on their success.
Influencers are the individuals who people desire to be and be around.
Now the question for any wide-eyed undergraduate is, “What occupation holds the most influence?” The answer that typically gravitates to the top of this list is the elected official. However, this could not be further from the truth.
Let’s be honest: Being a congressman or senator is not all it’s cracked up to be. For starters, the base pay isn’t as indulgent as one might suspect. Second, there is, of course, the dealing with angry mobs of men in pirate hats and women in green environmentalist T-shirts at each and every town hall meeting. The fictitious citizens of NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” are truer to life than one would hope to expect. And last, most of the time occupied by the average congressman, senator or governor is not time spent governing, but time used to woo political donors. These perceived influencers are the ones with their hands constantly out in front of them.
With that in mind, consider the influential factor of the elected official. It is not all that much. Can you name at least one of your all-powerful senators — there are two of them, remember? Probably not. His or her influence is lost on you.
Now contemplate this for the moment: Does anyone honestly believe that Speaker of the House John Boehner holds more influence than Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh or Bill O’Reilly?
The members of the “punditariat” of our Fourth Estate hold more influence than our elected officials. This may not be a bad thing, after all. Anytime the power of those in government can be diluted, I would submit, is a plus. To be fair, when a Rush Limbaugh-like character dilutes that power, some should be concerned. But still, a net plus nonetheless.
For the daily politico, would entering into the media not be more desirable than entering elected office? The source of much punditry pride comes from the fact that commentators defiantly dare to be wrong. Pundits live and die — but mostly live — on that credo.
Does accountability come into play? Despite their frequent malpractices, political commentators are incredibly influential. They will still be captaining their prime-time cable news show regardless of the administration and party in power of Congress.
Who, then, is more influential than the run-of-the-mill pundit? It is my opinion that the occupation that holds political power in the land is the late-night comedic host. Nothing is more powerful and more threatening to those in power than comedy. These entertainers employ their jokes, wit and personas to advocate and, more importantly and humorously, mock the powerful and those disagreeable to them. Because of their entertaining yet informative style, millions of people use these hosts as alternatives to the 24-hour-news-cycle anchor. Note that the particular group that employs these comedians as news arbiters are young people, the future of the country. Instead of berating their audiences, your Jon Stewarts and Stephen Colberts offer a half-hour of laughs that keep on coming. The rat-a-tat-tat of their rapid-fire punch lines lead to gold ratings and in turn, ever-growing influence.
And think about what viewers are laughing about. Stewart has dedicated many segments of “The Daily Show” to the not-so-laughable Veteran Affairs scandal. Colbert famously mocked former President George W. Bush to his face when he hosted the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Truth can be spoken to power with comedic timing.
Once a pundit or politico is mocked, it’s hard take him or her seriously. Remember how W. Bush was discredited by the populace because of the onslaught of jokes pertaining to his intellect and power? Do those jokes still stick to him and influence our image of the former president to this day? You betcha. Sorry, wrong politician. See how those jokes stick?
It is encouraging to see those who are in political power do not always hold all of the influence. When influence is disseminated throughout the population and across occupations, our society benefits from it. Sometimes that influence can come from the star-spangled newsroom or a biweekly columnist. In either situation, when influence is dispersed among rival occupations, our country becomes a more inhabitable and more entertaining place to live.
[Michael Beato is a UF economics junior. His columns appear on Tuesdays. A version of this column ran on page 7 on 6/3/2014 under the headline "Who's influencing Americans, politicians or comedians?"]
