I have written hundreds of technical reports, most for a nontechnical audience. If my audience misunderstands or rejects any of my points, I have failed. It’s not their failure; they hired me because I have expertise they lack. The failure is mine alone. Keeping that basic truth in mind and teaching it to my pollsters and statisticians were the among reasons why my organization succeeded.
If we pretend that the National Felons League protests had a message, it was their responsibility to communicate that point. No one is actually discussing the range of very different reasons that they have over time claimed as the foundation for their actions. We only notice that they are insulting our Anthem, our flag, our military, our country, and our ancestors. The motive for that shocking rudeness and disrespect is irrelevant to us.
Their message is ignored, so they have failed. Just as 2-14 loser Colin K failed as a quarterback, those who followed him into irrelevance also failed.
Back in my teleproduction days, I had a writer pal who said “Good communicatons are a 200% effort. The Sender needs to be 100% careful and clear to the message — and the audience’s ears — and the listener needs to be 100% clear and careful as he listens and interprets what he hears.”
Both must make a Complete Effort to Get It Right.
The only flaw is that today the listeners are often poorly educated and pop-culture obsessed, and are largely deaf.
You ain’t a-gonna get far with the Creatively Angry And Hopeless. They will WORK to get it wrong. (Like “Big-Hat-Wilson.)
Years ago there was a book: “Games People Play.”
She’s playing, “Now-I’ve-GOT-you, you-sunnafabitch!!”