Science Discovers the Parable
31st January 2015
President Obama’s recent State of the Union address began like many speeches: with an anecdotal story. In recounting the hardships of mother Rebekah Erler, Obama gave the nation a narrative of how government can help a normal middle-class family. Erler had gone through what many ordinary parents faced after the 2008 financial crisis: loss of a housing industry-dependent job and the rising day-to-day costs of raising a family. She was invited to the SOTU, and as she sat next to the First Lady, her story begged for empathy. Camera shots of her grateful visage complemented the orator-in-chief.
It was nice except for one crucial detail: Erler is a former field organizer for the Democrats. This wasn’t the touching story of an average American sharing her trials with the country; it was a political stunt used to help the party of government dependency.