On grabbing the third rail
by Stephen M. Walt
<http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/blog/2072>
walt.foreignpolicy.com
Last week a colleague who has been facing repeated and unfair attacks in
the media and the blogosphere (for making arguments that cut against the
conventional wisdom) sent around an email asking a number of friends and
associates (including me) for advice on how to deal with the attacks.
Having been smeared in similar fashion myself, I circulated a list of
the lessons I learned from my own experience with "grabbing the third
rail." A few of the recipients thought the list was helpful, so I
decided to revise it and post it here. If any readers are contemplating
tackling a controversial subject -- and I hope some of you will --
you'll need to be ready should opponents decide not to address your
arguments in a rational fashion, but to attack your character,
misrepresent your position, and impugn your motives instead. If they
take the low road, here are ten guidelines for dealing with it. (The
advice itself is politically neutral: it applies regardless of the issue
in question and no matter which side you're on.)
1. Think Through Your "Media Strategy" before You Go Public. If you are
an academic taking on a "third rail" issue for the first time, you are
likely to face a level of public and media scrutiny that you have never
experienced before. It is therefore a good idea to think through your
basic approach to the media before the firestorm hits. Are you willing
to go on TV or radio to defend your views? Are there media outlets that
you hope to cultivate, as well as some you should avoid?
Are you open to public debate on the issue, and if so, with whom? Do you
plan a "full-court" media blitz to advance your position (an article, a
book, a lecture tour, a set of op-eds, etc.), or do you intend to
confine yourself to purely academic outlets and let the pundits take it
from there? There is no right answer to these questions, of course, and
how you answer them depends in good part on your own proclivities and
those of your opponents. But planning ahead will leave you better
prepared when the phone starts ringing off the hook and there's a
reporter -- or even someone like Bill O'Reilly or Jon Stewart -- on the
other end. Don't be afraid to listen to professional advice here (such
as the media office at your university or research organization),
especially if it's your first time in the shark tank. It's also a good
idea to let your superiors know what's coming; deans, center directors,
and college presidents don't like surprises.
2. You Have Less Control Than You Think. Although it helps to have
thought about your strategy beforehand, there will always be surprises
and you will have to think on your feet and improvise wisely. Sometimes
real-world events will vindicate your position and enhance your
credibility (as the 2006 Lebanon War did for my co-author and myself),
but at other times you may have to explain why events aren't conforming
to your position. A vicious attack may arrive from an unexpected source
and leave you reeling, or you may get an unsolicited endorsement that
validates your views. Bottom line: life is full of surprises, so be
ready to roll with the punches and seize the opportunities.
3. Never Get Mad. Let your critics throw the mud, but you should always
stick to the facts, especially when they are on your side. In my own
case, many of the people who attacked me and my co-author proved to be
unwitting allies, because they lost their cool in public or in print,
made wild charges and ad hominem arguments, and generally acted in a
transparently mean-spirited manner. It always works to your advantage
when opponents act in an uncivil fashion, because it causes almost
everyone else to swing your way
Of course, it can be infuriating when critics misrepresent your work,
and nobody likes to have malicious falsehoods broadcast about them. But
the fact that someone is making false charges against you does not mean
that others are persuaded by the malicious rhetoric. Most people are
quite adept at separating facts from lies, and that is especially true
when the charges are over-the-top. In short, the more ludicrous the
charges, the more critics undermine their own case. So stick to the high
ground; the view is nicer up there.
4. Don't Respond to Every Single Attack. A well-organized smear campaign
will try to bury you in an avalanche flurry of bogus charges, many of
which are simply not worth answering. It is easier for opponents to
dream up false charges than it is for you to refute each one, and you
will exhaust yourself rebutting every critical word directed at you. So
focus mainly on answering the more intelligent criticisms while ignoring
the more outrageous ones, which you should treat with the contempt they
deserve. Finally, make sure every one of your answers is measured and
filled with the relevant facts. Do not engage in ad hominem attacks of
any sort, no matter how tempting it may be to hit back.
5. Explain to Your Audience What Is Going On. When refuting bogus
charges, make it clear to readers or viewers why your opponents are
attacking you in underhanded ways. When you are the object of a
politically motivated smear campaign, others need to understand that
your critics are not objective referees offering disinterested
commentary. Be sure to raise the obvious question: why are your
opponents using smear tactics like guilt-by-association and name-calling
to shut down genuine debate or discredit your views? Why are they
unwilling to engage in a calm and rational exchange of ideas? Let others
know that it is probably because your critics are aware that you have
valid points to make and that many people will find your views
persuasive if they get a chance to judge them for themselves.
6. The More Compelling Your Arguments Are, The Nastier the Attacks Will
Be If critics can refute your evidence or your logic, then that's what
they will do and it will be very effective. However, if you have made a
powerful case and there aren't any obvious weaknesses in it, your
adversaries are likely to misrepresent what you have said and throw lots
of mud at you. What else are they going to do when the evidence is
against them?
This kind of behavior contrasts sharply with what one is accustomed to
in academia, where well-crafted arguments are usually treated with
respect, even by those who disagree with them. In the academic world,
the better your arguments are, the more likely it is that critics will
deal with them fairly. But if you are in a very public spat about a
controversial issue like gay marriage or abortion or gun control, a
solid and well-documented argument will probably attract more scurrilous
attacks than a flimsy argument that is easily refuted. So be prepared.
7. You Need Allies. Anyone engaged on a controversial issue needs allies
on both the professional and personal fronts. When the smearing starts,
it is of enormous value to have friends and associates publicly stand up
and defend you and your work. At the same time, support from colleagues,
friends, and family is critical to maintaining one's morale. Facing a
seemingly endless barrage of personal attacks as well as hostile and
unfair criticisms of one's work can be exhausting and dispiriting, which
is why you need others to stand behind you when the going gets tough.
That does not mean you just want mindless cheerleaders, of course;
sometimes allies help us the most when they warn us we are heading off
course.
One more thing: if you're taking one a powerful set of opponents, don't
be surprised or disappointed when people tell you privately that that
they agree with you and admire what you are doing, but never say so
publicly. Be realistic; even basically good people are reluctant to take
on powerful individuals or institutions, especially when they might pay
a price for doing so.
8. Be Willing to Admit When You're Wrong, But Don't Adopt a Defensive
Crouch. Nobody writing on a controversial and contested subject is
infallible, and you're bound to make a mistake or two along the way.
There's no harm in admitting to errors when they occur; indeed, harm is
done when you make a mistake and then try to deny it. More generally,
however, it makes good sense to make your case assertively and not shy
away from engaging your critics. In short, the best defense is a smart
offense, even when you are acknowledging errors or offering a
correction. For illustrations of how my co-author and I tried to do
this, see here
<http://hbpub.vo.llnwd.net/o16/video/olmk/setting_the_record_straight.pdf> , here
<http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a908660944&db=all> ,
and here <http://mearsheimer.uchicago.edu/pdfs/A0047.pdf> .
9. Challenging Orthodoxy Is a Form of "Asymmetric Conflict": You Win By
"Not Losing." When someone challenges a taboo or takes on some
well-entrenched conventional wisdom, his or her opponents invariably
have the upper hand at first. They will seek to silence or discredit you
as quickly as they can, so that your perspective, which they obviously
won't like, does not gain any traction with the public. But this means
that as long as you remain part of the debate, you're winning. Minds
don't change overnight, and it is difficult to know how well an
intellectual campaign is going at any particular point in time. So get
ready for an emotional roller coaster-some days you might think you're
winning big, while other days the deck will appear to be stacked against
you. But the real question is: are you still in the game?
The good news is that if you have facts and logic on your side, your
position is almost certain to improve over time. It is also worth noting
that a protracted debate allows you to refine your own arguments and
figure out better ways to refute your opponents' claims. In brief, think
of yourself as being engaged in a "long war," and keep striving.
10. Don't Forget to Feel Good about Yourself and the Enterprise in
Which You Are Engaged.Waging a battle in which you are being unfairly
attacked is hard work, and you will sometimes feels like Sisyphus
rolling the proverbial stone endlessly uphill. But it can also be
tremendously gratifying. You'll wage the struggle more effectively if
you find ways to keep your spirits up, and if you never lose sight of
the worthiness of your cause. Keeping your sense of humor intact helps
too; because some of the attacks you will face ar bound to be pretty
comical. So while you're out there slaying your chosen dragon, make sure
you have some fun too.
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